Fayette County Will Place Historic Lynching Marker

During Thursday’s Fayette County Board of Commissioners meeting, residents pressed the board to approve a historical marker recognizing victims of racial terror lynching in Fayette County — a topic that drew the most public engagement and discussion of the afternoon.

Three residents spoke in support of the marker, highlighting its importance for historical accuracy, healing, and honoring families whose relatives were killed during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Alice Matthews Jones, a longtime Fayette County resident, said she first learned about these local lynching cases at the Equal Justice Initiative’s museum in 2020. She told commissioners the marker would bring needed closure to families and help the community “not repeat the things that happened in the past.”

Bill Grabill, speaking on behalf of the Fayette County Community Remembrance Coalition, outlined years of educational programs, soil collection ceremonies, scholarship contests, and public events carried out to build community understanding around the county’s racial history. He described the group as dedicated to creating a “beloved community where our shared history is understood.”

Janice Bryant, the coalition’s co-chair, added that the group has worked with EJI since 2021 to meet the requirements for installing the marker. She emphasized that addressing this history is necessary for community growth, saying that acknowledging the past “helps us understand our present and better our future.”

When the board took up the item for discussion, commissioners expressed appreciation for the coalition’s work. Commissioner Chuck Oddo noted the significance of formally documenting their efforts in the public record and suggested that the coalition consider adding broader historical context in the future. Other commissioners clarified that the vote concerned the marker as presented, with no changes to its wording.

The board voted unanimously to approve placing the marker on the Old Courthouse grounds.