Slocum, Texas
Encyclopedia
Slocum is an unincorporated community
in southeast Anderson County
, Texas
, in the United States
. It has a population of approximately 250.
serves area students who attend Slocum High School
and Slocum Elementary School.
Post Office, 100 Sheridan Street, Elkhart, Texas 75839-9998 located 7 miles from Slocum.
Several events may have sparked the attacks. After a black person was lynched nearby, rumors spread among whites that blacks were planning revenge. Also, a scuffle broke out over a business disagreement between a white and black resident, and many accounts say a man named James Spurger instigated events by claiming he was threatened by blacks.
Once the attacks began, Anderson County Sheriff W. H. Black reported, "Men were going about killing Negroes as fast as they could find them, and, so far as I was able to ascertain, without any real cause". All known victims were unarmed and most were shot in the back; no whites were injured.
Spurger, Reagon McKenzie, S.F. Jennings, and at least 13 other white men were arrested for the attacks, but none were ever tried.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in southeast Anderson County
Anderson County, Texas
Anderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 55,109. Its county seat is Palestine. Anderson county was organized in 1846, and is named in honor of Kenneth L. Anderson who had been Vice President of the Republic of Texas.-Geography:According to the...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It has a population of approximately 250.
Schools
The Slocum Independent School DistrictSlocum Independent School District
Slocum Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Slocum in unincorporated Anderson County, Texas .Located in southeastern Anderson County, the district has two campuses:*Slocum High School...
serves area students who attend Slocum High School
Slocum High School
Slocum High School is a United States secondary school located in unincorporated Slocum, Texas and has an Elkhart mailing address. It is part of the Slocum Independent School District located in southeastern Anderson County...
and Slocum Elementary School.
Fire Department
Slocum, Texas has one volunteer fire department. The VFD holds an annual BBQ and school reunion to raise money to provide for the needs of the fire department. Slocum Fire DepartmentPost Offices
There is no post office in Slocum. The nearest post office is in ElkhartElkhart, Texas
Elkhart is a town in Anderson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,215 at the 2000 census. Elkhart is named for a friendly Native American who assisted the early settlers of the town.-Geography:Elkhart is located at ....
Post Office, 100 Sheridan Street, Elkhart, Texas 75839-9998 located 7 miles from Slocum.
1910 Massacre of Black Residents
In late July 1910, between 14 and 25 people were murdered by a large mob. The victims were all African-American; the mob of 200 to 300 people was all white. Before the massacre, the majority of Slocum's several hundred residents were black; afterward, many black residents of Slocum fled the town, losing real estate, homes, and other assets that they had to leave behind.Several events may have sparked the attacks. After a black person was lynched nearby, rumors spread among whites that blacks were planning revenge. Also, a scuffle broke out over a business disagreement between a white and black resident, and many accounts say a man named James Spurger instigated events by claiming he was threatened by blacks.
Once the attacks began, Anderson County Sheriff W. H. Black reported, "Men were going about killing Negroes as fast as they could find them, and, so far as I was able to ascertain, without any real cause". All known victims were unarmed and most were shot in the back; no whites were injured.
Spurger, Reagon McKenzie, S.F. Jennings, and at least 13 other white men were arrested for the attacks, but none were ever tried.
Sources
- Rucker, Walter C. and James Nathaniel Upton, "Encyclopedia of American Race Riots." Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2007.
- Ginzburg, Ralph, "100 Years of Lynchings." Black Classic Press, 1996.