Marker notes history of lynching in Delaware
Milton Historical Society hosted one of its youngest presenters Sept. 12 when 17-year-old Savannah Shepherd outlined her efforts to erect a historic marker at the site of the 1903 lynching of George White in New Castle County.
A senior at Sanford School in Hockessin, Shepherd said she was inspired by a visit to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Ala., founded by her cousin, Milton native Bryan Stevenson. The museum contains soil samples from lynching sites around the United States, motivating Shepherd to research the history of lynching in Delaware.
She came upon the story of White, a Wilmington laborer who was murdered by a white mob. Shepherd said White was accused of killing a white girl and was being held in what was then called a workhouse to await trial. According to the marker, a crowd of 3,000 people stormed the jail and dragged White to Price’s Corner, where he was first burned alive by the mob and then lynched in front of hundreds of spectators.
White’s is the only documented lynching in Delaware, although Shepherd said it is reasonable to assume there are many more. Shepherd lobbied state and federal representatives for a historic marker at Price’s Corner, where White was lynched; the marker was formally unveiled in June. Shepherd said the marker was recently stolen, but a new marker is expected to be placed at the site.
Shepherd brought the container of soil from the site of White’s lynching and took questions from the audience on her research, and efforts to develop and place the marker.
Ryan Mavity covers Milton and the court system. He is married to Rachel Swick Mavity and has two kids, Alex and Jane. Ryan started with the Cape Gazette all the way back in February 2007, previously covering the City of Rehoboth Beach. A native of Easton, Md. and graduate of Towson University, Ryan enjoys watching the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Capitals and Baltimore Orioles in his spare time.
