Lynchings on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore: Home

From the end of the Civil War to the mid-twentieth century, violent acts of "mob law" called lynchings swept across the United States. In most cases, these lynchings and attempted lynchings were intended to terrorize African American communities. According to Tuskegee University, between 1882 and 1968 there were 4,743 people lynched across the country, over 73% of which were African American. As a state, Maryland experienced 29 reported cases of lynching deaths (27 African American, 2 white). In Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore counties (Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset), there were at least 7 known lynchings and approximately 19 attempted lynchings.

In order to facilitate public and academic research, remembrance, and reconciliation on these historical events, the Nabb Research Center has put together this resource guide including primary and secondary sources from the Center and other institutions. As research into these painful chapters in our region's history continues, new sources and information will be added to this resource guide. 

If you have items documenting this history or research to contribute, please contact the Nabb Research Center (nabbcenter@salisbury.edu). 

WARNING
This resource guide includes descriptions and images of graphic violence.

Definition: Racial Terror Lynching
The unlawful killing of an African American by white mob violence, often with the apparent complicity of state and local officials, intended to incite racial terror and subservience to white supremacy. (Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission)

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