City unveils Clinton Massacre marker

Last month, the City of Clinton unveiled a marker commemorating the Clinton Massacre, a marker that is part of the Mississippi Freedom Trail. The marker, located at 300 Northside Drive, details the events that began on September 4, 1875, when a political rally and debate turned violent near downtown Clinton. Gunfire was exchanged between the White Democrats and the Black Republicans, leaving seven dead and dozens injured. In sub-sequent days, White militia and outlaws killed dozens of African Americans, and hundreds more fled to Jackson, thereby suppressing the Republican vote and effectively ending Reconstruction in Mississippi and marking the begin-ning of the Jim Crow era.
The Mississippi Freedom Trail was created in 2011 to commemorate the people and places in the state that played a pivotal role in the American Civil Rights Movement. The first Freedom Trail markers were unveiled in conjunction with the Mississippi Freedom 50th Foundation’s 2011 reunion activities for the 1961 Freedom Riders.
For more information about the Mississippi Freedom Trail, visit www. MississippiTourGuide.com/freedom-trail.