It Happened Here: Remembering Three Lynchings

Presented by Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project

Photo exhibit presented at Potomac Library from January 16 - February 13.

“IT HAPPENED HERE: REMEMBERING THREE LYNCHINGS” was developed by the Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project and reveals the forgotten and nearly-erased history that occurred in our county. Originally focused on the two lynchings that took place in Rockville, the exhibit has recently expanded to include Mr. Peck’s lynching in Poolesville.
 

With site markers and photographs, this exhibit traces the paths of the three lynchings: Mr. George Peck in 1880, Mr. John Diggs-Dorsey in 1880 and Mr. Sidney Randolph in 1896. Each of these three men was denied any semblance of due process and each racially violent death was determined to be “at the hands of parties unknown.”
 

Besides helping to reveal the history of these fatal miscarriages of justice and helping to remember the victims, the exhibit also highlights the process of community engagement, reconciliation, and healing. It includes several photographs from the Poolesville and Rockville area, including photos from the soil collection and marker ceremonies honoring those three victims. 
 

Those who are interested in Montgomery County history and efforts to promote remembrance and reconciliation will not want to miss this thought-provoking and powerful exhibit.

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