History

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We started with the 2016 publication of the book The Family Tree: A Lynching in Georgia and a family memorial service at the Harris County library. From there, the work connected with Racial Trust-building activities flourishing in Troup County and led to a joint memorial service for Henry “Peg” Gilbert, a Lagrange resident lynched in the Hamilton jail.

 

In Dec. ‘16, descendants of the 1912 lynching victims joined with descendants of the sheriff to collect soil near Friendship Baptist and take it to EJI, followed by Gilbert descendants and supporters doing the same. Many of us began to hold public conversations about Harris county’s history of racial violence and to help others with their own historical research as we continued to seek descendants of the victims.

 

Soon after the police chief and deputy’s recorded racist comments about a Black Lives Matter rally led to their removal in 2021, the Hamilton City Council passed an ordinance to create a sacred contemplative park in memory of lynching victims and committed $50,000 and a plot of land to that purpose.

 

Since then, CRP members have been co-sponsors of the local MLK Day celebration. Our CRP partnered with local churches and non-profits to celebrate Juneteenth in 2023 and held conversations on racially unequal housing and healthcare during Black History Month. We have involved Tuskegee University School of Architecture students in creating our memorial design.  We have also involved students in a Political Science Class at LaGrange College who gave a compelling presentation to the CRP team entitled "Which Counties Account For Past Lynchings And Which Do Not.  The Economics And Demographics Of Each."  This was their class project for the semester