Public invited to candlelight memorial for Pierce City lynching victims
August 18, 2021
Sheila Harris
Murray and Julie Bishoff, of Pierce City, invite the public to attend a candlelight ceremony to mark the 120th anniversary of the deaths of three African-American residents of Pierce City on August 19, 1901. The ceremony will take place Thursday, August 19, at 9 p.m., at the corner of Walnut and Commercial Streets in Pierce City, where City Hall is now, Murray Bishoff says.
The 1901 Pierce City lynching, carried out by a vigilante mob, resulted in the exile of the remaining members of the African-American members of the Pierce City community.
Although the event represents dark history, Murray Bishoff, a retired reporter for The Monett Times, continues to honor the memory of those who died by hosting the candlelight ceremony.
Bishoff said he started the candlelight commemoration with no thought of gathering a crowd, although it has since been attended by a family member of one of the African-American men who died.
Bishoff’s vigil began after writing a three-part history of the lynching in 1991 for The Monett Times, a riveting account which can be found online.
During the ceremony, Bishoff will recount the history of events leading up to the lynching and those which followed. In addition to its commemorative purpose, the ceremony will offer an educational opportunity for those interested in learning a bit of local history that’s not often alluded to.
Bishoff has been holding the vigil for the past 30 years, always on the actual anniversary of the lynching, and in the location where it occurred.
Sheila Harris
Murray and Julie Bishoff, of Pierce City, invite the public to attend a candlelight ceremony to mark the 120th anniversary of the deaths of three African-American residents of Pierce City on August 19, 1901. The ceremony will take place Thursday, August 19, at 9 p.m., at the corner of Walnut and Commercial Streets in Pierce City, where City Hall is now, Murray Bishoff says.
The 1901 Pierce City lynching, carried out by a vigilante mob, resulted in the exile of the remaining members of the African-American members of the Pierce City community.
Although the event represents dark history, Murray Bishoff, a retired reporter for The Monett Times, continues to honor the memory of those who died by hosting the candlelight ceremony.
Bishoff said he started the candlelight commemoration with no thought of gathering a crowd, although it has since been attended by a family member of one of the African-American men who died.
Bishoff’s vigil began after writing a three-part history of the lynching in 1991 for The Monett Times, a riveting account which can be found online.
During the ceremony, Bishoff will recount the history of events leading up to the lynching and those which followed. In addition to its commemorative purpose, the ceremony will offer an educational opportunity for those interested in learning a bit of local history that’s not often alluded to.
Bishoff has been holding the vigil for the past 30 years, always on the actual anniversary of the lynching, and in the location where it occurred.
