List of hanging trees
In the United States, a hanging tree or hangman's tree is any tree used to perform executions by hanging.
Examples
- Arizona
- Greaterville Hanging Tree: Oak tree outside of the ghost town Greaterville, Arizona, where Pima County police officers lynched two Mexican men for alleged cattle rustling and other crimes in 1915. Located along a dirt road in the northern Santa Rita Mountains, near the historic Greaterville townsite.
- Vulture City Hanging Tree: Ironwood tree located in the ghost town of Vulture City, Arizona, next to the remains of Henry Wickenburg's stone cabin built circa 1863. Eighteen men were hanged from this tree in the late 19th century for "high grading" (stealing gold ore).[2]
- Georgia
- Savannah Hanging Tree: Live oak located in Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia.[3]
- Kansas
- Dodge City Hanging Tree: Located in the Boot Hill Cemetery in Dodge City, Kansas.[4]
- New Mexico
- Chloride Hanging Tree: Large oak tree in the ghost town of Chloride, New Mexico.[5]
- New York
- Hangman's Elm: English Elm located in Washington Square Park in Manhattan, New York.[6]
- South Carolina
- Charleston Hanging Tree: Located in Charleston, South Carolina, and reputed to be the site where Denmark Vesey and 34 of his followers were hanged in 1822.[7]
- Texas
- Goliad Hanging Tree: Large oak tree in Goliad, Texas. For 24 years the Goliad County court was held under this tree. Many hangings were performed here, including several during the 1857 Cart War between American and Mexican settlers.[8]
- Hanging Oak: 400 year old live oak tree in Houston, Texas. Said to have been used to hang eleven individuals between 1836 and 1845 and now preserved by the City of Houston Civic Center Department.[9]
- Hallettsville Hanging Tree: Live oak tree located in the Hallettsville, Texas, city park. Used for the September 12, 1879, execution of a native American man known as "Pocket", who was found guilty of murdering an Englishman named Leonard Hyde in 1878.[10]
- Kyle Hanging Tree: Oak tree in Kyle, Texas. According to local lore, in the 1840s a group of cowboys stumpled across this tree and found a dead man hanging from it. The cowboys cut the man down and buried him at the base of the tree. Later the Kyle Cemetery formed up around the tree.[11]
- Page's Tree: Used in the 1837 execution of a murderer named Page and two others. Located in the Clarksville, Texas, pioneer cemetery.[12]
See also
References
- ^ Pfeifer, Michael J. (2013). Lynching Beyond Dixie: American Mob Violence Outside the South. University of Illinois Press. p. 125-127. ISBN 9780252094651.
- ^ "Vulture Mine Ghost Town Near Wickenburg Arizona". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "Columbia Square & The Legendary "Hanging Tree" - Savannah, GA". 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "Cemetery of the Week #95: Dodge City's Boot Hill". Loren Rhoads. 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "Chloride New Mexico". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "Hangman's Elm in Washington Square Park". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "The Story of Charleston's Hanging Tree". Prof. Damon L. Fordham, MA. 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "Famous Hanging Tree, Goliad, Texas". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "The Hanging Oaks of Houston". John Nova Lomax. 2009-07-17. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "Hallettsville Hanging Tree". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "Kyle Hanging Tree". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "Clarksville, Texas". Retrieved 2016-07-20.