The Monroe Massacre
July 25
*On this date in 1946, the Monroe Massacre occurred. This awful piece of Black history in America involved two young Black couples, Roger and Dorothy Malcolm, and George and Mae Murray Dorsey who were killed by a lynch mob.
This happened at the Moore's Ford Bridge over the Appalachee River connecting Walton and Oconee Counties in Georgia. The four were tied up and shot hundreds of times in broad daylight by unmasked men; murder weapons included rifles, shotguns, pistols, and a machine gun. The Tuskegee Institute called it a "lynching." Despite an intense investigation by FBI and GBI agents, “The best people in town won't talk," said then Georgia State Patrol Major William E. Spence. The climate of fear and threat of retaliation discouraged law abiding citizens from cooperating with the investigation. "They have an idea who it is."
News of the brutal killings and the subsequent cover up swept across the nation. The New York Times alone had 43 separate stories in 1946. This incident and two others enraged President Harry Truman and led to historic changes: creation of the first ever-presidential commission on race, desegregation of the military and passage of anti-lynching legislation. Yet, this civil rights milestone is nearly forgotten in Walton and Oconee Counties. There is neither mention in local histories or on historical markers. There is only race baiting graffiti at the bridge. The victims, including World War II veteran Dorsey, today lie in unmarked graves.
Recently, the Atlanta Journal Constitution retold the history of the "Monroe Massacre" after an eyewitness finally came forward. While hiding nearby, Clinton Adams said he saw the killings as a ten-year-old boy. In 1992, he identified four men as shooters, all of whom had died. Although no one was charged, Adams' testimony rekindled interest in the case. Stunned by this shocking act of violence, in a fifty year delayed reaction, area residents came forward at last; The Moore's Ford Memorial Committee is the result.
The Moore's Ford Memorial Committee includes community leaders, young and old, professional and blue collar workers, the sheriffs of both counties, and White and Black residents. Founded on August 7, 1997, the group's monthly meetings have been well attended, its healing mission is endorsed by local newspapers.
Reference:
Atlanta History Center
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30305-1366
Telephone: 404-814-4043
*On this date in 1946, the Monroe Massacre occurred. This awful piece of Black history in America involved two young Black couples, Roger and Dorothy Malcolm, and George and Mae Murray Dorsey who were killed by a lynch mob.
This happened at the Moore's Ford Bridge over the Appalachee River connecting Walton and Oconee Counties in Georgia. The four were tied up and shot hundreds of times in broad daylight by unmasked men; murder weapons included rifles, shotguns, pistols, and a machine gun. The Tuskegee Institute called it a "lynching." Despite an intense investigation by FBI and GBI agents, “The best people in town won't talk," said then Georgia State Patrol Major William E. Spence. The climate of fear and threat of retaliation discouraged law abiding citizens from cooperating with the investigation. "They have an idea who it is."
News of the brutal killings and the subsequent cover up swept across the nation. The New York Times alone had 43 separate stories in 1946. This incident and two others enraged President Harry Truman and led to historic changes: creation of the first ever-presidential commission on race, desegregation of the military and passage of anti-lynching legislation. Yet, this civil rights milestone is nearly forgotten in Walton and Oconee Counties. There is neither mention in local histories or on historical markers. There is only race baiting graffiti at the bridge. The victims, including World War II veteran Dorsey, today lie in unmarked graves.
Recently, the Atlanta Journal Constitution retold the history of the "Monroe Massacre" after an eyewitness finally came forward. While hiding nearby, Clinton Adams said he saw the killings as a ten-year-old boy. In 1992, he identified four men as shooters, all of whom had died. Although no one was charged, Adams' testimony rekindled interest in the case. Stunned by this shocking act of violence, in a fifty year delayed reaction, area residents came forward at last; The Moore's Ford Memorial Committee is the result.
The Moore's Ford Memorial Committee includes community leaders, young and old, professional and blue collar workers, the sheriffs of both counties, and White and Black residents. Founded on August 7, 1997, the group's monthly meetings have been well attended, its healing mission is endorsed by local newspapers.
Reference:
Atlanta History Center
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30305-1366
Telephone: 404-814-4043