George Meadows

People

George Meadows

Outcome

unknown

On January 15, 1889, George Meadows, a young African American man who had recently arrived in Jefferson County, Alabama, was lynched by a mob of over 400 white coal miners near Pratt Mines. He was accused of raping a white woman named Mrs. J.S. Kellam and murdering her 9-year-old son the previous day. Despite both Mrs. Kellam and her husband begging the mob not to kill Meadows, with Kellam stating she was unsure if he was the right man and her husband citing his faith and requesting a proper trial, the mob hanged him, then riddled his body with bullets. Photographs were taken of his hanging body and circulated publicly. The following day, the sheriff determined Meadows was not the actual perpetrator and arrested another Black man, Lewis Jackson. The attack on Mrs. Kellam and her son occurred on January 14, 1889, in a forest near Pratt Mines. Kellam was beaten and raped but survived by playing dead. Her son was forced to lie down next to her and beaten to death. In response, over 400 white coal miners formed search parties and brought several Black men to Kellam for identification. She was unable to positively identify any of them as her attacker. The next day, the miners brought Meadows, a newcomer to the area. After a brief investigation, the mob declared him guilty based on Kellam's statement that Meadows was "most likely" her attacker, not a positive identification. Both Mrs. Kellam and her husband pleaded for mercy. Kellam explicitly stated she was unsure whether Meadows was guilty, and her husband asked the mob to allow Meadows to stand trial, citing his religious faith. The mob debated for approximately 24 hours whether to turn Meadows over to authorities but ultimately decided to proceed with the lynching after finding bloodstains on his undershirt and hat. After hanging Meadows, the mob shot his body multiple times. An undertaker left his corpse on public display for crowds to view. Photographs of his hanging body were taken and distributed. Meadows was buried in a pauper's grave at the old Red Mountain Cemetery. On January 16, 1889, just one day after Meadows's murder, the sheriff determined that Meadows was not the actual perpetrator and arrested Lewis Jackson, another Black man. However, Jackson was released the next day after Kellam could not identify him either. According to some accounts, after a review of the incident, authorities later concluded Meadows was actually guilty, and a local newspaper reported that Kellam confessed she had never actually doubted Meadows's guilt but had intentionally feigned uncertainty because she did not want to share responsibility for his death at the hands of a mob. No prosecutions were ever initiated against any members of the lynching mob. In 2019, Tony Bingham, a professor at Miles College and advisor for the Jefferson County Memorial Project, announced efforts to either locate Meadows's grave or have the Birmingham Zoo or Birmingham Botanical Gardens erect a memorial at their facilities in Lane Park.