LEONARDTOWN, Md. – St. Mary's County Library, in association with the St. Mary's County Museum Division, proudly unveiled a unique and sobering artifact on June 13, 2023 – a soil sample collected in memory of Benjamin Hance, the county's only documented lynching victim. The soil sample and accompanying educational materials will be displayed at the Leonardtown Library until June 20.
The soil sample's origins date back to a Soil Collection Ceremony held on November 1, 2019, at the Port of Leonardtown Winery Park. The ceremony paid homage to Hance, who lost his life to an act of racially motivated violence in 1887. The soil was extracted from the very spot where Hance tragically met his end and preserved in two custom-made jars.
One of these jars found its place in Montgomery, Alabama, as part of the National Memorial for Peace & Justice. Meanwhile, the other has remained in St. Mary's County and is typically displayed at the Old Jail Museum. The temporary relocation to Leonardtown Library coincides with the anniversary of Hance's death.
Hance, a 22-year-old Black man, was lynched by a white mob on June 17, 1887, in Leonardtown before he could stand trial for a crime he was accused of but never formally convicted. The shocking event marks the only recorded instance of lynching in the history of St. Mary's County.
The Old Jail Museum, where Hance was held before his murder, houses a poignant exhibit dedicated to his life. The exhibit includes the soil sample and a memorial marker that testify to his memory in the jail's exterior grounds. Visitors can explore this exhibit inside the cell that once confined Hance. His resting place is the St. Aloysius cemetery in Leonardtown. Additional information can be found on the Equal Justice Initiative's website.
The 2019 Soil Collection Ceremony and the ongoing efforts to preserve and display the soil sample involved numerous contributors. These include the St. Mary's County Museum Division, the Equal Justice Initiative, the National Memorial for Peace & Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project. Other contributors include community and civic organizations, such as the St. Mary's County NAACP, St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic Church, the Sierra Club, St. Mary's Ryken High School, and many more. Karen Stone, a key participant, can provide further details at 240-925-0293. More information about the Equal Justice Initiative is available at https://eji.org.
This collective act of remembrance serves as a sad reminder of a tragic period in St. Mary's County's history. The soil sample exhibit aims to educate the public about the past and promote dialogue about racial justice and equality, a necessary step in moving towards a more inclusive future.
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