Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Council approves resolution supporting roadside marker about 1883 lynching and community response
Loading...
Summary
The council voted to approve a resolution supporting installation of a roadside marker that references the 1883 lynching of Charles Campbell and the subsequent community response; presenters said the Equal Justice Initiative and NCDNR have approved the marker and will cover costs, while some council members sought clarity on wording and local input.
Statesville — The Statesville City Council voted to approve a resolution supporting installation of a historical marker describing the October 1883 lynching of Charles Campbell and the community response, after presentations from the Arnold Community Remembrance Project and related speakers.
Frank Johnson, representing the Arnold Community Remembrance Project (a Statesville NAACP subcommittee), described the event and the committee’s goals: truth-telling, reconciliation and public education. He said research indicates the lynching occurred after a violent episode at a traveling circus in October 1883 and that local leaders at the time issued a resolution intended to avert further violence. Johnson told the council the marker’s placement would be in the planting area across from the Statesville Historical Collection, adjacent to the Confederate soldier statue, and that the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNR), DOT and the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) are facilitating the process and would assume costs.
Marlene Scott (speaker 16) described an educational contest tied to the marker and local programming planned for North Carolina’s 250th anniversary activities. Supporters emphasized that the marker would document the historical lynching while highlighting the city’s positive collective actions in the aftermath.
Several councilmembers asked what the marker’s text would say and whether the community would have meaningful input given EJI’s role; one councilmember raised skepticism about EJI’s funders. “Show me what the marker is gonna say, and then I’ll vote,” one member said. The presenters replied that EJI will prepare the narrative but that local input has been solicited and that the committee sought only the council’s direction to coordinate with DOT and allow installation. The presenters also said the marker would cost the city nothing and that EJI had approved a narrative for this location.
After discussion a councilmember moved to approve the resolution; the motion was seconded and the council voted in favor, with a roll call recorded in the meeting.
What happens next: City staff were asked to coordinate the street department’s work with NCDOT to ensure placement, maintenance and safety. The committee will continue drafting narrative text with the parties involved; EJI’s final wording and placement approval will be part of the permitting process.
