The names of at least three of the Newberry Six — a group of African Americans lynched more than a century ago — were found painted in front of the new Publix on West Newberry Road in an apparent protest of its proximity to the site of the lynchings.
“Gilbert & Mary Dennis were here” was written on the Publix roadside sign and “Stella Young was here” was written on the side of a storage container on the property at the corner of West Newberry Road and County Road 235.
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According to historical accounts, the Newberry killings began after an African American man named Boisy Long was accused of stealing hogs in August 1916. Dr. L.G. Harris and Constable George Wynne tried to arrest Long, but he allegedly fired at both men and fled. Wynne was fatally wounded and Harris was shot but survived.
The Newberry Six were killed because authorities believed they helped Long flee.
James Dennis was fatally shot. GilBert and Mary Dennis, Stella Young, the Rev. Josh Baskin and Andrew McHenry were jailed and then taken by a mob to the Newberry picnic grounds (West Newberry Road and CR 235) where they were lynched.
Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe, a team leader for the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project, said he first heard about the vandalism on Sunday morning. He said that the city’s truth and reconciliation soil ceremonies and the installation of the historical markers are just to the west of the Publix on property owned by Gwendlyn Hunt.
“I’m a little confused by it because Newberry’s truth and reconciliation work has been going along very nicely without the need for vandalism or anything like that. It’s not like Newberry is hiding from any of this history. Newberry is the first city in Alachua County to engage in truth and reconciliation,” Marlow said. “… We’ve done as much if not more work than anybody else in the county to bring these issues to light.
“I feel terrible for Publix getting wrapped into this conversation, and I’m concerned about what this means for the next time we try to do an event for truth and reconciliation. Is the community still going to be as welcoming?”
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Names of Newberry Six lynching victims painted outside Newberry Publix
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