"Slocum Massacre"
Slocum, Anderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Racial tensions in America in the early 20th century were sometimes punctuated by violent outbursts. One such occasion began near Slocum and Denson Springs and spread across a wide area near the Anderson-Houston county line. Beginning on the morning of July 29, 1910, groups of armed white men shot and killed African Americans, first firing on a group near Sadler's Creek. Murders in the black community continued during the remainder of that day and night. Accounts in state and national newspapers brought widespread attention to the situation. Judges ordered saloons and gun and ammunition stores to close, and state militia and Texas Rangers were dispatched to the area. The murders of eight men were officially recorded. The victims were Cleveland Larkin, Alex Holley (Hollie), Sam Baker, Dick Wilson, Jeff Wilson, Ben Dancer, John Hays and Will Burly. Many African American families fled the area and did not return. Eleven white men were soon arrested, and district judge Benjamin H. Gardner empaneled a grand jury within a week. When its findings were reported on August 17, seven men were indicted. The cases were moved to Harris County but were never prosecuted. The events which came to be known as the "Slocum Massacre" largely disappeared from public view in subsequent generations. In 2011, the 82nd Texas Legislature adopted a resolution acknowledging the incident and stating that "only by shining a light on previous injustices can we learn from them and move toward a future of greater healing and reconciliation." (2015)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On July 29, 1910, armed white men began hunting and killing African Americans across the countryside near Slocum in East Texas, firing first on a group along Sadler's Creek and continuing through the day and night. At least eight Black men were officially recorded murdered, though many believed the toll far higher, and terrified families fled the area for good. Grand jury indictments of white men followed within weeks, but the cases were moved and never prosecuted, and the events faded from public memory until a 2011 legislative resolution acknowledged them.
Why it matters
The Slocum Massacre stands among the racial atrocities that drove the Great Migration and reminds the nation of violence long erased from the historical record.
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Related people
- · Cleveland Larkin
- · Alex Holley
- · Sam Baker
- · Benjamin H. Gardner
Related events
- · Slocum Massacre (1910)
Themes & tags
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