A memorial service takes place on Monday, June 10, remembering three black men who were lynched in Lawrence on June 10, 1882 and the 14-year old daughter of one of the men who died in prison years later.

The men---Pete Vinegar, George Robertson and Isaac King-- were imprisoned for the murder of a white man who was sexually assaulting Vinegar’s daughter Margaret “Sis” Vinegar.

A mob broke into the jail and seized the accused who were hanged from the Kansas river bridge. Margaret, meanwhile, was found guilty of murder and died from tuberculosis five years later in prison.

The informal service begins at 6 PM on the hillside below  Potters Field in Oak Hill Cemetery, where Vinegar, Robertson and King are buried. 

The Lawrence/Douglas County Community Remembrance Project Coalition works to foster and conduct community-wide reconciliation for centuries of racist violence and intolerance in Lawrence and Douglas County. The intent is to put an end to generational trauma resulting from those incidents that has been carried down unreconciled through the years. 

Organizers encourage guests to bring their own lawn chairs.