Record of lynchings that occurred in Whitfield County between 1870 and 1936

Albert Wilkie – February 7, 1870

Accused of abducting a white woman, Wilkie was jailed in Dalton.

A mob armed with guns took him from the jail at midnight and hanged him in the Presbyterian churchyard.

Tom Tarver – August 28, 1885

Killed during the “Night of Willopus Willopus,” a violent raid by white "Regulators."

Tarver tried to defend a neighbor from the mob and was shot in the back of the head.

Will Thomas – March 8, 1888

A Black traveler from Kentucky was falsely accused of assault of an elderly woman.

Identified as the closest black stranger to Tunnel Hill.

He was lynched near the railroad depot.

Martin Love – July 10, 1889

Accused of attempting to rape a white girl near Tunnel Hill.

He was found, confessed, and was lynched to a tree.

A note pinned to his body claimed to defend “our women and children.”

Lee McDaniel – July 29, 1892

Accused of assault, McDaniel was arrested near Sugar Valley.

Before trial, he was kidnapped by a mob of masked men.

He was hanged from a sweetgum tree at the railroad crossing in Tilton.

Jack Wilson – October 23, 1892

Believed to be targeted for voting the Populist ticket but actually due to a personal vendetta.

He fought back and was killed by white-cappers (Klan-style vigilantes).

His death led to rare public condemnation and a town meeting.

Doc Posey – July 1, 1907

The only white man lynched in Whitfield County.

Accused of raping his stepdaughter, he was taken from jail and hanged from a bridge over the railroad in Dalton.

Lon McCamy – September 6, 1936

A young Black man accused of peeping or entering a white woman’s home.

He was taken from jail while the sheriff slept, then shot, dragged by a car and hanged from a light pole outside Dalton.