Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
July 2025

Contact:
Ivy Tan
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.tan@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445

State Historical Marker Recalling Black Man’s Lynching Unveiled in Leesburg

—The marker focuses on the lynching of Charles Craven, a Black man, in Leesburg by a mob made up of hundreds of men during the period of Jim Crow—

—Text of marker reproduced below—

PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.

RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) announced that a historical marker approved by the Commonwealth’s Board of Historic Resources was dedicated recalling the lynching of a Black man by a mob in Leesburg in 1902.

The dedication ceremony for the marker was held Wednesday, July 16, at 10 a.m., near the Sandy Spring Bank at 1 Catoctin Circle NE in Leesburg (20176). The marker stands in the area between the parking lot and the sidewalk of East Market Street. The dedication was a free and public event.

The dedication ceremony began with an opening and welcome remarks from Robin Reaves Burke, first vice president of the NAACP Loudoun Branch and executive director of the Loudoun Freedom Center. Guests who spoke at the event included Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk; Michelle Thomas, president of the NAACP Loudoun Branch and CEO and founder of the Loudoun Freedom Center; Phillip Thompson, immediate past president of the NAACP Loudoun Branch; and Virginia Delegate Fernando “Marty” Martinez. DHR Deputy Director of Preservation Programs Roger Kirchen attended the ceremony on the department’s behalf.

On July 31, 1902, Charles Craven, a Black man about 25 years old, was lynched in the town of Leesburg. Craven had been accused of murdering a White man. Soon after his arrest, a mob of 300 to 500 men formed outside the jail where he was being held. Fearing violence, the sheriff requested that the governor deploy militia troops to Leesburg. However, before troops could arrive, the mob stormed the jail, overwhelming the deputies, and seized Craven. The mob beat Craven and took him half a mile away from the jail. He was hanged and then shot hundreds of times. Craven proclaimed his innocence until his death. As with most cases of lynching in the Jim Crow South, nobody was ever brought to justice despite many eyewitnesses and several arrests.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the Charles Craven marker in September 2024. The marker’s manufacturing cost was covered by its sponsors, the NAACP Loudoun Branch, the Loudoun Freedom Center, and the Town of Leesburg.

Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,600 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.

Full Text of Marker:

Charles Craven Lynched, 31 July 1902

Charles Craven, a Black man about 25 years old, was lynched here on 31 July 1902. Accused of murdering a White man, Craven was being held at the Leesburg jail. Soon after his arrest, a mob of 300 to 500 men formed outside the jail. Fearing violence, the sheriff requested that the governor deploy militia troops to Leesburg. Before troops could arrive, the mob stormed the jail, overwhelmed the deputies, seized Craven, beat him, and took him a half-mile to this site, where he was hanged and then shot hundreds of times. Craven proclaimed his innocence until his death. Despite many eyewitnesses and several arrests, no one was ever brought to justice, as with most lynchings in the Jim Crow South.

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