James Taylor’s historical marker would be in the same style as this Historical sign in Annapolis
During Tuesday night’s town council meeting, Philip Dutton, Co-Chair of the James Taylor Justice Coalition, presented ideas for the location of a historical sign memorializing the 1892 racially motivated lynching of James Taylor across the street from the Chestertown Court House.
The project to bring awareness of lynching and others in Maryland was initiated after then-Governor Larry Hogan signed the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Law (HB307) in 2019, authorizing “a state commission to research cases of racially motivated lynching and hold public meetings and regional hearings where lynching of an African American by a white mob was documented.”
“We’ve considered several factors relevant to the lynching event itself, a place of prominence that represents the importance of this sign and this history in our town,” Dutton said.
The council supported the proposal for the sign placement and discussed potential locations. The Fountain Park location was considered an inappropriate location.
Councilmember Tim O’Brien said, “I’m in favor of supporting this project. I don’t believe Fountain Park is appropriate for any extra signage, regardless of the subject. In fact, I’d like to help declutter Fountain Park, and I believe that there will be resistance to anything any additions to Fountain Park regardless of the subject matter, and I am afraid it would be misconstrued as being against this sign rather than just against adding anything to the park.”
Any placement considered on Cross Street, an SHA state highway, would have to meet SHA’s requirements.
The sign would be created by the Equal Justice Initiative at no cost to the town.
A soil collection ceremony was held at the lynching site on Justice Day 2022. The event was produced by the James Taylor Justice Coalition of Sumner Hall in collaboration with the Community Remembrance Project, and Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, Alabama where the glass container was placed.
James Taylor Memorial Marker – Locations Considered
Submitted by Philip Dutton
- Memorial Park on High Street – This location is very good for visibility. On the other hand, the park is already crowded. The markers in this park are all veteran/war related, e.x. WWI, WWII, Vietnam, etc. Placing the James Taylor marker in Memorial Park would dilute its importance and, perhaps, diminish the park as a veteran’s memorial. Also, the site relevancy to the event of Taylor’s lynching is low.
- Emmanuel Church flower bed on Cross Street – This location would require the approval of the church vestry. This location would be on private property, not public, so in the future decisions could be made to remove the marker. The visibility of this site is not as good as some other sites. The relevancy to the lynching event is low other than proximity.
- Cross Street near Town Hall – There is already a marker, George Vickers, near Town Hall. Mr. Vickers, however, was a known racist. There is site relevancy at this location, across the street from the old jail and down the street from the lynching site and the Engine House in Fountain Park. Visibility at this location is the lowest of all sites.
- Cross Street on the Court House side of the street– A sign on the Courthouse side of Cross Street would have to be on the Town right of way between the sidewalk and the street which is only 4’4”. The markers are 42” wide which would be a tight fit. The relevancy of this site is high for obvious reasons: old jail, courthouse and lynching site. Visibility would be fair at this location.
- Cross Street at the Soil Collection site – A marker at this site would be on the Town right of way between the sidewalk and the street which is 7’ on this side of Cross Street. Site relevancy is high here, closest to where the actual lynching took place and where the soil collection was taken. This is an obvious location but will likely not have the visibility of a Memorial Park or Fountain Park location.
- Fountain Park at the corner of Cross Street and Park Row – Visibility and site relevancy are very good at this location. At the time of Mr. Taylor’s lynching the town fire equipment was housed in a small building on this corner, the Engine House. Mr. Taylor’s body was held in this building for some time after the lynching until he was buried in the pauper’s graveyard. People reading a sign on that corner could turn around and see the Court House, the former jail location and the location of the tree where the hanging took place. They could also look left down Park Row toward the Post Office and visualize where the Crawford House stood, where the lynching leaders met with town officials. The marker in Fountain Park would validate the significance of Mr. Taylor’s lynching in town history and why acknowledging the violent racial history of our country is necessary for healing and reconciliation.
To send letters of support for this project and preferences for placement, email Councilmember Tim O’Brien at [email protected]
A final placement area will be decided at he next town council meeting, March 4.
Bil Anderson says
How does a sign relative to a lynching in Chestertown promote good relationships among the citizenry? I believe that it doesn’t, but if I am wrong about that, why not in front of the Town Offices on Cross street?
Gren Whitman says
Someone will find a reason to object to any proposed location for this sign; indeed, some will object to the project in its entirety.
They will object to unpleasant history.
They will object to facts.
Ignore them.
I’m hearing the same arguments that were raised to defend “The Talbot Boys” Confederate statue in Easton, but reversed.
The obvious place for the Taylor sign is “closest to where the actual lynching took place,” i.e., Option No. 5.
Rev. Joel L. Tolbert says
To those considering the installation and location of an historic marker remembering the lynching of James Taylor,
I write to encourage you to vote YES for placing a marker about the lynching of James Taylor as near as possible to the original site of his death.
We know about where the tree stood. As noted in the above article, the James Taylor Justice Coalition has imagined several possible public installation options near that site. The three obvious choices are the Courthouse grounds just across the street from the site where the soil samples were taken, the corner of Fountain Park nearest the site, or the right of way nearest the site. Each site has met some resistance. We need your YES to one of these locations.
While other leaders and politicians are white washing racism out of our classrooms, libraries, and social narratives, we need you to help tell the honest truth of racism that came before us and still infects systems and structures around us today.
James Taylor is now remembered in national and state museums, Let’s remember him, and the racism that killed him, in our town and county as well.
Rev. Joel L. Tolbert
Pastor, Head of Staff, the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown