The Election Riot of 1874 or Coup of 1874 took place on election day, November 3, 1874 near Comer, Alabama. On that day, the White League

White League

The White League was a white paramilitary group started in 1874 that operated to turn Republicans out of office and intimidate freedmen from voting and political organizing. Its first chapter in Grant Parish, Louisiana was made up of many of the Confederate veterans who had participated in the...

 (comprising white Alabamian Democrats), formed an armed mob and invaded Eufaula

Eufaula, Alabama

Eufaula is a city in Barbour County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 13,908.-Geography:Eufaula is located at 31°53'21.732" North, 85°9'13.586" West ....

, killing at least seven black Republicans, injuring at least 70 more, and driving off over 1,000 defenseless Republicans from the polls. The mob then moved on to Spring Hill, where members stormed the polling place, killing a white Republican judge's son. The White League subsequently perfected its coup d'état

Coup d'état

A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

 by refusing to count any Republican votes cast (Republican voters outnumbered Democratic voters by a margin greater than two to one), declaring themselves (the Democrats) victorious, forcing Republican politicians out of office, and seizing every county office in Barbour County

Barbour County, Alabama

Barbour County, Alabama is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of James Barbour, who served as Governor of Virginia. As of 2010 the population was 27,457. Its county seat is Clayton.-History:...

. The Democrats followed up by auctioning off as slaves (for a maximum cost of $2 per month) or otherwise silencing all Republican witnesses to the coup so that they could not testify in federal court about it.

Location of historical marker

Located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 82 and Barbour County Road 49 near Comer, Alabama.
Marker Dedication or Erection Date: July 19, 1979

Text

Near here is Old Spring Hill, the site of one of the polling places for the November 3, 1874 local, state and national elections. Elias M. Keils, scalawag

Scalawag

In United States history, scalawag was a derogatory nickname for southern whites who supported Reconstruction following the Civil War.-History:...

 and Judge of the City Court of Eufaula

Eufaula, Alabama

Eufaula is a city in Barbour County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 13,908.-Geography:Eufaula is located at 31°53'21.732" North, 85°9'13.586" West ....

 was United States supervisor at the Spring Hill ballot box. William, his 16 year-old son, was with him. After the polls closed, a mob broke into the building, extinguished the lights, destroyed the poll box and began shooting. During the riot, Willie Keils was mortally wounded. The resulting Congressional investigation received national attention. This bloody episode marked the end of the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 domination in Barbour County.

Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission

Historic Chattahoochee Commission

The Historic Chattahoochee Commission promotes an eighteen county area in Alabama and Georgia centered on the lower Chattahoochee River where it forms the boundary between the states. Organized in 1970, the HCC is charged with the responsibility of promoting tourism and historic preservation...

, 1979.

External links

• "Historic Markers » Alabama." Historic Chattahoochee Commission