Historical Marker
Brookhaven
Brookhaven, Lincoln County · Mississippi
Erected 1949
On February 10, 1908, Eli Pigot, a Black man accused of raping a woman near Ruth, was brought by train to Brookhaven for trial under the guard of 58 militiamen. A crowd had gathered before dawn. It overpowered the guard, took him and hanged him in public before an estimated 2,000 witnesses; accounts say prominent citizens, even jurors, took part, and nobody wore a mask. No one was ever held to account. His relatives did not claim the body, and he was buried in the county's potter's field.
Where it stands
31.57853, -90.44320 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Brookhaven Light Artillery — steps away
- Whitworth College — steps away
- Original King's Daughters Hospital — steps away
- Murder of Lamar Smith — steps away