After George White lynching historical marker stolen from park, police offer reward

A historical marker unveiled in June to memorialize the only documented lynching in Delaware has been stolen from its home in New Castle County's Greenbank Park, police said on Friday.

A resident noticed the missing marker, which recognizes the 1903 lynching of black farm worker George White, on Thursday.

New Castle County Police said Saturday they are investigating, and offered a $2,000 reward through Crime Stoppers to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest or conviction of those responsible.

Officials at the Delaware Public Archives, who oversee historical markers in the state, said the marker would have been hard to remove because the concrete footing would have made the sign extremely heavy.

Memorial Dedication:Historical marker in memory of the only documented lynching in Delaware is unveiled

“The alleged theft of the lynching memorial marker at Greenbank Park will only bring renewed attention to the horror and injustice that occurred right here in New Castle County,” County Executive Matt Meyer said. “I call on whoever is responsible for this crime to do the right thing and return the marker to us.”

State Senator Darius Brown (D-Wilmington) was also disappointed when he heard the news because he played a part with bringing it to Delaware.

The marker was erected on June 19 and dedicated on June 23, the anniversary of White's death.

A local high school student, Savannah Shepherd, initiated the process to secure the marker when she learned about White’s murder while visiting the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama.

Shepherd approached Sen. Brown about the marker and he agreed to cover the cost of the marker.

White was charged in the murder of a white girl on June 16, 1903. While he sat in jail, a minister urged white residents to take "swift public vengeance" against the accused.

A mob stormed the prison the next night, carrying White from the prison. On June 23, the mob tortured White and burned him alive before hundreds of people. Some spectators took pieces of white's corpse for keepsakes.

Nobody was ever convicted for White's murder.

"Remembering our past in this honest and direct way has the power to bring us to tears but also to heal and to spur change," Brown said in a statement. "I imagine that whoever ripped the sign from the ground did so for many of the same reasons."

Delaware Public Archives officials estimated it would cost over $2,000 to replace the historical marker.

New Castle County Police ask anyone with information about the missing marker to contact Detective Daniel Elwood at (302) 395-2761 or Daniel.Elwood@newcastlede.gov. You can also call New Castle County Police's non-emergency number at (302) 573-2800.

Anonymous tips can be sent by texting "NCCDE" to the number 847411. Tipsters can also reach authorities at www.nccpd.com or at New Castle County Division of Police on Facebook Messenger. Police also accept tips on their Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) TIP-3333.

You can contact Jacob Baumgart at jbaumgart@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @JacobBaumgart.