For any other inquiries or additional information,
Please email:
MTP@maryturner.org
Did You Know??
The original marked was placed off Folsom Bridge Road on Highway 122 in Hahira Georgia, by the Georgia Historical Society. This was the precise location, where the lynching took place. Sadly, the orginal marker was destroyed by bullets; therefore, moved to a different location.
Historical Marker Site:
Webb Miller Community Church
300 Blakely Street
Hahira, Georgia 31632
THE LYNCHING OF MARY TURNER
Sunday May 19, 1918, Mary Turner was taken from her home, lynched, and killed by a "white mob." Publicly denouncing the death of her husband (Hayes Turner) the previous day; the angry mob silenced her voice with hate and inhumane acts. The death of Mary Turner, her unborn child, and several others has been documented as one of the deadliest waves of vigilantism in Georgia's history.
On May 19, 1918, thirty-three-year-old Mary Turner, 8 months pregnant was taken to the little river on Folsom Bridge road in Lowndes County, Georgia where she was lynched and brutally murdered. Angry because Turner was seeking justice for the lynching death of her husband days before; the angry mob hung Turner by her ankles, soaking her body with gasoline and oil. The mob was furious about the death of Hampton Smith. Smith was a white plantation owner who was killed May 16, 1918, by Will Head (who confessed to the plot of killing Smith), Hayes Turner, and several others.
Mary Turner body was set on fire. Still breathing, a member of the mob then took a large knife and cut the unborn child from Turner's womb. Even the horrific acts could not silence the child nor Mary Turner. It was said that the child cried loudly, infuriating one of the mobs even more. The member of the mob then stomped the child head, crushing its skull with their foot, killing the baby. Mary Turner body was then riddled with more than 100 bullets. The mob buried Mary and her child only a few feet away, marking their grave with a whiskey bottle and a cigar. As of today, no charges nor restitution has been granted to Mary Turner family or any other descendants of the lynching victims.
About Us
The Mary Turner Project (MTP) is a multi-racial, multi-generational all volunteer collective of students, educators, community members, and descendants of Mary Turner who are committed to racial justice and racial healing. That commitment involves educating ourselves and others about the presence of racism, the multiple forms of racism, and the effects of racism, so that we may become involved in eliminating racism. Much of our work centers on research driven community engagement and action relative to past and current racial injustice.
The descedants of Mary Turner currently operate this website.