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Lynching of Jordan Jameson

lynching in 1919, in Magnolia, Columbia County, Arkansas, United States

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 20, 2026
Entity authorityQ75189035 ↗
Source-derived summary

An African-American man, Jordan Jameson, was lynched on November 11, 1919, in the town square of Magnolia, Columbia County, Arkansas. A mob seized Jameson after he allegedly shot the local sheriff. They tied him to a stake and burned him alive.

Background

Arkansans were on edge after the deadly Elaine massacre (September 30–October 1, 1919) in rural Elaine, Arkansas. During the riots, hundreds of black people were killed and according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, "the Elaine Massacre was by far the deadliest racial confrontation in Arkansas history and possibly the bloodiest racial conflict in the history of the United States."

On November 7, 1919, Columbia County Sheriff Benjamin E. Greer, was heading to the Jordan Jameson house along with deputies Duke Emerson and John Althin. While at the house an altercation broke out which escalated to a shoot out where Greer was shot in the head. In the confusion, Jameson escaped into the forest.

Lynching

As word spread that Greer had been killed a white mob quickly formed and started to patrol the area on the lookout for Jameson. At 1:00 AM on November 11, 1919, a posse of ten men: J. T. Bussey, Will Moody, Otha Dickson, Charles Dickson, Charley White, J. A. Sands, Monroe Henry, Ernest Kimball, W. M. Owen, and Will Toland found Jameson and his wife in a house. He was coaxed outside with a promise that the men wouldn't hurt his wife.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Lynching of Jordan Jameson” is lynching in 1919, in Magnolia, Columbia County, Arkansas, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Lynching, Jordan and Jameson, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1919—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Lynching, Jordan and Jameson is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “lynching in 1919, in Magnolia, Columbia County, Arkansas, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q75189035. Authority coordinates are 33.267, -93.241. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1919.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Lynching of Jordan Jameson”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Lynching of Jordan Jameson primary sources, Lynching of Jordan Jameson archive and Lynching research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lynching of Jordan Jameson”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Lynching of Jordan Jameson” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.