A historical marker in Prices Corner, Delaware honoring the memory of lynching victim George White was stolen on Thursday.
The marker indicated the site where in 1903 a white mob burned alive George White, a Black farm worker accused of murdering a white girl. White had denied involvement in the murder. White’s case is the most well-documented lynching in the state, although historians say other lynchings also occurred in Delaware.
Sixteen-year-old Savannah Shepherd led the effort to get the historical marker erected. Shepherd learned about White’s story after visiting the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. She worked with State Senator Darius Brown to secure funding for the marker. It was erected on June 19, and on June 21 a dedication ceremony took place for the new marker.
In response to the theft, Senator Brown said, “I think that we absolutely need to look at this as a hate crime. I think that we need to look at this in the context of what the marker stood for and the ugly part of our history that it commemorated and how some individuals may not want to have that history told.”
Shepherd and Brown plan to erect a replacement marker and hold a new ceremony to honor George White. New Castle County police continue to investigate the theft.