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American History
14 Black Towns That Thrived After Slavery
Then Were Burned to the Ground
A Reposting of History Collection's Original Page
With Updated Links Because Smithsonian Deleted This History
1. Greenwood District (Tulsa, Oklahoma) 1921
The Greenwood District, famously dubbed Black Wall Street, was a flourishing center of Black entrepreneurship in early 20th-century Tulsa. Residents built a thriving economy with banks, hotels, shops, and entertainment venues. In 1921, envy and racial tension ignited the Tulsa Race Massacre, when white mobs attacked, looted, and set fire to the community. The devastation was staggering: more than 1,000 homes and businesses were destroyed, and countless lives were lost or shattered. The district’s legacy remains a powerful symbol of both Black achievement and the violence it endured.
Rosewood, Florida, once prospered as a close-knit Black community with churches, schools, and successful businesses. In January 1923, a white mob descended on the town after false accusations against a Black resident. The violence was swift and merciless—homes and churches were torched, residents were attacked, and dozens were killed or forced to flee. The entire town was left in ruins, its story hidden from mainstream history for decades. Rosewood’s tragedy only gained widespread recognition generations later.
3. Elaine (Arkansas) 1919
In 1919, Black sharecroppers in Elaine, Arkansas, organized to demand fair wages, sparking a violent backlash from white landowners and mobs. The ensuing massacre resulted in the deaths of an estimated 100 to 237 Black residents, with homes and properties destroyed in the chaos. The violence decimated the local Black community, sending shockwaves through the region and leaving a legacy of trauma. The tragedy of Elaine remains one of the deadliest racial conflicts in U.S. history.
4. Ocoee (Florida) 1920
On Election Day in 1920, Ocoee’s Black residents faced brutal violence when they tried to exercise their right to vote. White mobs retaliated by burning Black homes, churches, and businesses, forcing survivors to flee for their lives. The devastation effectively erased Ocoee’s Black community, and the town remained nearly all-white for generations. The Ocoee Massacre stands as a chilling reminder of the fight for voting rights and the consequences of racial hatred.
5. East St. Louis (Illinois)
1917
In July 1917, East St. Louis erupted in violence as white mobs targeted Black residents amid rising racial and labor tensions. The riots led to the deaths of at least 40 Black residents — though estimates are higher— and the destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses. The devastation shattered the community’s sense of security and prosperity, leaving many families homeless and traumatized. The East St. Louis massacre stands as a stark example of how Black economic progress was met with organized, deadly resistance.
6. Slocum (Texas) 1910
The Slocum Massacre of 1910 saw white mobs descend on the Black community in Slocum, Texas, killing at least 60 Black residents and destroying their homes, businesses, and livelihoods. In the aftermath, survivors fled, and the once-thriving settlement was effectively wiped off the map. For decades, the tragedy was largely omitted from local histories, its memory preserved mainly through oral accounts. Most newspapers downplayed the extent of the violence and claimed that the white mobs only shot at Black citizens after being threatened. However, contemporaneous and subsequent investigations found that the massacre was wholly unprovoked.
7. Wilmington (North Carolina)
1898
Wilmington, North Carolina, stood out as a thriving, majority-Black city with Black elected officials and successful Black-owned businesses in the late 19th century. In 1898, white supremacists orchestrated a violent coup, forcibly removing Black leaders from office and setting fire to homes and businesses in a coordinated attack. This event, known as the Wilmington Insurrection, is recognized as the only successful coup d’etat in U.S. history, fundamentally altering the city’s power structure and erasing much of its Black prosperity.
8. Opelousas (Louisiana) 1898
In 1868, Opelousas, Louisiana, became the scene of one of Reconstruction’s most violent episodes. Political tensions exploded as white mobs brutally attacked Black residents, burning their homes and businesses. The massacre left more than 200 Black people dead and the community shattered. The devastation effectively erased the once-growing Black presence in Opelousas, leaving a legacy of fear and loss that endured for generations.
9. Colfax (Louisiana) 1873
The Colfax Massacre of 1873 marked one of the bloodiest days of Reconstruction. Following a contested election, white supremacists launched a violent assault on Black residents, killing more than 100 people and burning homes and churches to the ground. The tragedy decimated Colfax’s Black community and sent a chilling message throughout the region. Despite its significance, the Colfax Massacre remains a lesser-known chapter in America’s post-Civil War history.
10. Springfield (Illinois) 1908
In 1908, Springfield, Illinois—famous as Abraham Lincoln’s hometown—was rocked by brutal racial violence. White mobs rampaged through Black neighborhoods, burning homes and businesses, and killing at least seven people. The terror forced hundreds of Black residents to flee, leaving much of their community in ruins. The aftermath of the Springfield Race Riot galvanized activists and directly contributed to the founding of the NAACP, a pivotal moment in the fight for civil rights.
11. Newberry (Florida) 1916
In 1916, Newberry’s Black community suffered horrific racial violence as lynch mobs attacked, destroying Black-owned homes and churches. The terror drove many Black families from the area, erasing much of the town’s vibrant Black history and culture. The destruction left scars that lingered for generations, with the memory of Newberry’s Black legacy nearly lost.
12. Forsyth County (Georgia) 1912
In 1912, an eruption of racial violence and intimidation forced nearly every Black resident to flee Forsyth County, Georgia. White mobs destroyed homes, businesses, and churches, erasing a once-thriving Black community. For decades afterward, Forsyth became notorious as a “sundown county,” with an almost exclusively white population and a legacy of exclusion. The events left lasting scars and shaped the county’s reputation for generations.
13. Hamburg (South Carolina) 1876
During Reconstruction, Hamburg thrived as a Black-majority town with economic and political influence. In 1876, white paramilitary groups launched a violent assault known as the Hamburg Massacre, targeting Black residents and burning Black-owned businesses and homes. The attack devastated the community, leading to the loss of Black political power and the town’s decline. Hamburg’s destruction marked a turning point in the rollback of Black rights during the post-Civil War era.
14. Pierce City (Missouri) 1901
In 1901, Pierce City’s Black residents were subjected to deadly violence as white mobs killed several people and set Black homes ablaze. The terror forced every Black family to flee, and their abandoned properties were seized and redistributed. For decades, Pierce City was left almost entirely white—a stark reminder of how racial violence erased Black communities from American towns. Understanding these stories is crucial to acknowledging and healing from the injustices of the past. Mark Twain poignantly described these lynchings in his post-homously published "The United States of Lyncherdom."