The Lynching of Benjamin Thomas, August 8, 1899
Around midnight on August 8,1899, a 16-year-old African American teenager named Benjamin Thomas was lynched in Alexandria, Virginia. A white terror mob comprised of Alexandria citizens attacked the city jail on St. Asaph Street, and Benjamin Thomas was dragged half a mile to the southwest corner of King and Fairfax streets, opposite Market Square. The full account of this hate crime was methodically researched by the 13-member Research Committee of the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project.
In Memoriam
In Memoriam pages commemorate Benjamin Thomas on the anniversary of his lynching. You are invited to learn and share information about their short lives and racially motivated lynchings.
Benjamin Thomas
August 8, 1899
Lynched on a lamppost at Fairfax Street near King Street
Lynchings in Alexandria
Between 1877 and 1950, 99 Virginians, including at least 11 in Northern Virginia, were lynched. The lynchings were among 6.500 reported nationwide during the same period. Lynching was not a federal offense until March 29, 2022.
In Alexandria, there is documentation of the lynching of two individuals, Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas. See below for narratives of the lynchings. The City of Alexandria wishes to thank the members of the Research Committee for their more than 3,000 hours of work on the narratives.
The City of Alexandria is committed to the accurate dissemination of its history. The lynchings are recognized as a terrible chapter in Alexandria’s past. To fight injustice and keep the memory of Alexandria’s lynching victims alive, you are invited to participate in the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project.
Give to the McCoy & Thomas Memorial Scholarships
ACRP has established two scholarships to recognize and remember this City’s known lynching victims: Joseph McCoy (1897) and Benjamin Thomas (1899). We have partnered with the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria to provide a $3000 scholarship to two Alexandria City High School students in 2024. Make a donation to memorialize McCoy and Thomas for the future generations.
In the News
2026
A Dangerous Age
Out of the Attic, Alexandria Times, August 6, 2026.
2024
‘Remembering Is Resistance’, Memorial for Benjamin Thomas
Alexandria Gazette Packet, August 22, 2024.
Benjamin Thomas’ Homegoing: Grieving and protest
Out of the Attic, Alexandria Times, August 8, 2024.
In Alexandria, residents mourn the 1899 lynching of a Black teen — and vow to protect teaching about race
Margaret Bethel, WAMU 88.5 American University Radio (Listen, or read the transcript)
2023
‘Steeped in Racial Oppression’ in Alexandria: Ceremony unveils marker in honor of lynching victim Benjamin Thomas
Jeanne Theismann, Alexandria Gazette Packet, August 10, 2023
2022
"Do You Hear the Blood?" City Remembers Lynching Victim Benjamin Thomas
Jeanne Theismann, Alexandria Gazette, August 11-17, 2022.
Alexandria remembers Benjamin Thomas, 16-year-old Black boy lynched in 1899
Max Marcilla, DC News Now, August 8, 2022.
Alex
2021
Stop to Remember Benjamin Thomas. By Audrey Davis, Director, Alexandria Black History Museum. Opinion, Alexandria Gazette Packet, August 5, 2021.
Commemorative Broadside Dedicated to the Memory of Benjamin Thomas
Alexandria Times, August 5, 2021.
Historical Marker Honors Memory of Alexandria Lynching Victim Benjamin Thomas
Grace Arnold, The Zebra, August 11, 2021.
'Face Yourselves.' City dedicates marker in memory of lynching victim Benjamin Thomas
Jeanne Theismann, Alexandria Gazette Packet, August 12, 2021.
2020
Say Their Names: In Remembrance: Benjamin Thomas, August 8, 1899
Opinion piece by Audrey Davis, Director, Alexandria Black History Museum
Published in the Alexandria Gazette Packet, August 6, 2020, page 6.
Commemorative Broadside Dedicated to the Memory of Benjamin Thomas
Alexandria Times, August 6, 2020, pages 14 - 15.
Benjamin Thomas and Emmett Till
Percy White, Gang Prevention and Intervention Coordinator, City of Alexandria. Out of the Attic, Alexandria Times, August 6, 2020, page 23.
In a summer of racial protests, Alexandria remembers a young lynching victim
Patricia Sullivan, The Washington Post, August 7, 2020,
2019
Commentary: A Man Was Lynched in Alexandria: 120 Years Ago Today
Opinion piece by Audrey Davis, Director, Alexandria Black History Museum
Published in the Alexandria Gazette Packet, August 12, 2019.