Lynching was one of the most brutal tools of racial terror in the United States, serving as a public spectacle of white supremacy and a tool of social control over African Americans. Between the late 19th century and well into the 20th century, thousands of Black men, women, and even children were lynched, often with the active participation or complicity of local authorities. The violence was public, deliberate, and grotesque, but one of its most disturbing aspects was the tendency of white spectators to collect body parts of the lynched victims as souvenirs.
Jim Crow America refers to a period in U.S. history, from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, during which racial segregation and discriminatory laws were enforced, primarily in the Southern states. The term “Jim Crow” comes from a minstrel show character that perpetuated racist stereotypes. Under these laws, Black Americans were subjected to institutionalized racism, which included separate facilities for Black and white people (such as schools, transportation, and public spaces), disenfranchisement, and widespread discrimination. The era was marked by violence, including lynchings, and the suppression of civil rights for African Americans, continuing until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Lynching as a Public Spectacle
Unlike the often clandestine acts of racial violence that occur today, lynchings were frequently organized as public events in Jim Crow America. These acts of violence were advertised in advance, drawing crowds from nearby towns. White families—men, women, and children alike—would gather to witness the torture and murder of Black Americans. These events were not only tolerated but celebrated by many in the white community as acts of racial “justice” or vengeance.
After the lynching, spectators often rushed to collect gruesome souvenirs from the victim’s remains. Body parts such as fingers, toes, ears, and genitals were severed and taken home as trophies. Some were used as charms, displayed as morbid relics, or even sold. In addition, photographs of the mutilated body were often taken and turned into postcards, further commercializing and celebrating the violence.
One of the most infamous cases of lynching and the collection of body parts occurred in 1899 with Sam Hose in Georgia. Hose, a Black man accused of murdering his employer and assaulting a white woman, was brutally lynched before a crowd of thousands. Sam Hose was burned alive. In the final moments of his life, the assembled crowd descended upon his body and collected various parts of it as souvenirs.
The Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican recounted the scene of Hose’s dismemberment in the following manner:
Before the torch was applied to the pyre, the negro was deprived of his ears, fingers and genital parts of his body. He pleaded pitifully for his life while the mutilation was going on, but stood the ordeal of fire with surprising fortitude. Before the body was cool, it was cut to pieces, the bones were crushed into small bits, and even the tree upon which the wretch met his fate was torn up and disposed of as “souvenirs.” The negro’s heart was cut into several pieces, as was also his liver. Those unable to obtain ghastly relics direct paid their more fortunate possessors extravagant sums for them. Small pieces of bones went for 25 cents, and a bit of liver crisply cooked sold for 10 cents.’
Another harrowing case was that of Claude Neal in 1934, which exposed the depths of racial hatred and mob violence in Florida. Neal, accused of raping a white woman, was abducted from jail by a lynch mob and subjected to hours of unimaginable torture. He was forced to eat his own genitals before being killed, after which the mob mutilated his corpse, cutting off his fingers and toes to keep as souvenirs. Neal’s body was then dragged to a courthouse square, where an even larger crowd gathered to view his remains, further showcasing how these lynchings became public displays of terror.
The 1916 lynching of Jesse Washington in Waco, Texas, further exemplified this macabre tradition. Washington, a Black teenager accused of killing a white woman, was lynched in front of a crowd of around 15,000 spectators. He was tortured, burned alive, and dismembered as the crowd watched and participated in the violence. After his death, parts of his body were cut off and taken by members of the crowd as keepsakes. The Waco lynching, often referred to as the “Waco Horror,” received widespread attention, highlighting the public nature of these atrocities and the culture of celebration that surrounded them.
Similarly, in 1889, George Meadows was lynched in Alabama after being accused of assaulting a white woman. A large crowd gathered to witness the extrajudicial execution, treating the event as a form of entertainment. After Meadows was killed, parts of his body were severed and distributed among spectators. This practice, though barbaric, was commonplace, as lynch mobs often sought physical remnants of their violence to take home as proof of their participation and a symbol of their perceived racial dominance.
The collection of body parts was not merely an expression of morbid curiosity or sadism; it served a symbolic purpose. By keeping parts of a lynched African American, white spectators reinforced their domination over them. These souvenirs were physical manifestations of the mob’s control, signaling that Black bodies were property even in death. They also served as warnings to the Black community that stepping outside the boundaries of white supremacy would result in unspeakable violence.
The cultural impact of these acts of violence and the souvenirs taken from the victims extended far beyond the immediate scene of the lynching. White families often displayed body parts and photographs of the lynching as mementos, strengthening the sense of unity and shared racial superiority. For African Americans, the public nature of these events and the desecration of Black bodies created a legacy of terror and humiliation. Entire communities lived in fear of the next act of mob violence, knowing that they had little recourse against such brutality.
The legacy of these actions contributed to the long-standing racial trauma that African Americans faced, a legacy of terror that was ingrained into the national fabric.
Although the era of lynching has ended, its history of racial violence and dehumanization still lingers in American society today.
