The lynching of Mary Turner in 1918 in Lowndes County, Georgia, stands as one of the most horrific episodes of racial violence in American history. This brutal act, carried out against a pregnant African American woman, reflects the deep-seated racism and unchecked mob violence that characterized the Jim Crow era in the United States. Mary Turner’s story is not only a testament to the systemic oppression faced by African Americans but also a powerful symbol of resistance and the enduring struggle for justice and equality. In the early 20th century, the United States, particularly the South, was entrenched in a system of racial segregation and discrimination enforced through Jim Crow laws. These laws upheld white supremacy, relegating African Americans to second-class citizenship and subjecting them to economic exploitation, social marginalization, and frequent acts of violence. Lynchings—extrajudicial killings by mobs—were a common tool of racial terror, used to intimidate and control Black communities. Between 1882 and 1968, thousands of African Americans were lynched, often without any legal repercussions for the perpetrators.
In 1918, Lowndes County, Georgia, was a region marked by stark racial and economic divides. African Americans, many of whom worked as sharecroppers or laborers on white-owned plantations, faced grueling working conditions and constant threats of violence. It was in this volatile environment that the events leading to Mary Turner’s lynching unfolded.
The chain of events that culminated in Mary Turner’s lynching began on May 16, 1918, with the killing of Hampton Smith, a white plantation owner in Brooks County, adjacent to Lowndes County. Smith was known for his abusive treatment of Black workers, including physical violence and exploitative labor practices. One of his workers, Sidney Johnson, a Black man, is believed to have shot and killed Smith in retaliation for his mistreatment. The murder sparked immediate outrage among the white community, triggering a wave of retaliatory violence against African Americans in the area. In the days that followed, a white mob, fueled by racial animosity and a desire for vengeance, launched a manhunt for those suspected of involvement in Smith’s death. The violence quickly escalated into a broader assault on the Black community, with homes burned, individuals beaten, and several African Americans killed. Among those targeted was Hayes Turner, a 25-year-old African American man who worked on a nearby plantation.
Hayes Turner was accused, without evidence, of being complicit in Hampton Smith’s murder. On May 17, 1918, he was seized by the mob and taken into custody. However, legal proceedings were swiftly abandoned. The mob forcibly removed Hayes from jail, dragged him to a remote location, and lynched him. His body was left hanging as a public spectacle, a common practice in lynchings meant to terrorize and dehumanize the Black community. Grief-stricken and outraged, Mary Turner publicly condemned her husband’s lynching. She spoke out against the mob’s actions, declaring the lynching unjust and threatening to seek legal recourse to bring the perpetrators to justice. In the context of 1918 Georgia, such an act of defiance by an African American woman was extraordinarily bold—and dangerous. Her words challenged the racial hierarchy and incensed the white mob, who viewed her outspokenness as a direct affront to their authority.
On May 19, 1918, the mob targeted Mary Turner. They abducted her from her home and brought her to Folsom’s Bridge, a secluded spot near the Little River on the border of Brooks and Lowndes Counties. What followed was an act of unimaginable cruelty, even by the standards of the era’s racial violence. At Folsom’s Bridge, the mob subjected Mary Turner to a sadistic and barbaric lynching. Her ankles were bound, and she was hanged upside down from a tree. The mob doused her body with gasoline and set her on fire while she was still alive. In a further act of depravity, one of the mob members cut open her abdomen, causing her unborn child to fall to the ground. The infant, still alive, cried briefly before the mob stomped and crushed its body. Finally, the mob riddled Mary Turner’s body with bullets, ensuring her death. Her corpse was left hanging from the tree for days, serving as a grotesque warning to other African Americans who might dare to resist or speak out.
News of Mary Turner’s lynching spread beyond Georgia, drawing national attention and sparking outrage among those who learned of the atrocity. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a leading civil rights organization founded in 1909, condemned the lynching and called for a federal investigation. The NAACP’s magazine, The Crisis, edited by W.E.B. Du Bois, published detailed accounts of the incident, highlighting the barbarity and urging action to combat racial violence. Despite the outcry, no one was ever arrested or prosecuted for the murders of Mary Turner, her unborn child, or Hayes Turner. The lack of accountability was typical of lynchings during this period, as local authorities—often complicit or sympathetic to the mobs—rarely pursued justice. The absence of legal repercussions underscored the systemic nature of racial violence and the impunity enjoyed by its perpetrators.
The lynching of Mary Turner remains one of the most harrowing examples of racial terror in American history. It encapsulates the intersection of racism, sexism, and violence that African American women faced during the Jim Crow era. Mary’s courage in speaking out against her husband’s lynching, despite the risks, highlights her as a figure of resistance, even as her story ends in tragedy. Her lynching also serves as a stark reminder of the broader context of racial violence in the United States. The period from the late 19th to early 20th centuries saw thousands of lynchings, with African Americans disproportionately targeted. These acts were not isolated incidents but part of a systemic campaign to maintain white supremacy through fear and brutality.
In recent years, Mary Turner’s story has been revisited as part of efforts to acknowledge and memorialize victims of racial violence. In 2008, the Mary Turner Project, a community-based initiative in Georgia, was established to honor her memory and educate others about the history of lynchings in the region. A historical marker was placed near Folsom’s Bridge in 2010, commemorating Mary Turner and other victims of the 1918 lynchings. Additionally, organizations like the Equal Justice Initiative have worked to document and memorialize lynching victims, ensuring that stories like Mary Turner’s are not forgotten.
The lynching of Mary Turner is a painful and enduring symbol of the racial injustices that have scarred American history. Her story reflects the resilience of those who resisted oppression, even at great personal cost, and the unimaginable horrors inflicted upon African Americans during the Jim Crow era. As the United States continues to grapple with its history of racial violence, Mary Turner’s legacy serves as a call to confront the past, seek justice, and work toward a more equitable future. Her courage and the tragedy of her death remain a powerful testament to the ongoing struggle for racial equality.