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Lynching of Benjamin Thomas

Benjamin Thomas, a 16-year-old Black teenager, was seized from an Alexandria, Virginia jail by a mob of hundreds and lynched on August 8, 1899, one day after his arrest.

UNSOLVED2020

Corner of King and Fairfax streets, Alexandria, Virginia

3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Benjamin Thomas was a 16-year-old Black teenager living in Alexandria, Virginia, at the end of the 19th century. On August 7, 1899, he was arrested and accused of assaulting the 8-year-old daughter of a white neighbor. Thomas maintained his innocence and was placed in the local jail to await further legal process.

On the evening of August 8, 1899, beginning around 10 p.m., a mob of hundreds of white residents gathered around the jail where Thomas was held and demanded that he be turned over to them. Around midnight, the mob forced its way into the jail and forcibly removed Thomas. He was beaten by the crowd, had a noose placed around his neck, and was dragged approximately half a mile through the city. He was then hanged to death at the corner of King and Fairfax streets. Thomas died as a result of the mob violence; no trial or legal adjudication of the assault accusation against him ever took place.

Thomas's killing was the second of two documented lynchings in Alexandria's history; the first, of Joseph H. McCoy, had occurred almost two years earlier.

Beginning in 2020, the city of Alexandria began publicly honoring Benjamin Thomas on the anniversary of his lynching. In 2022, the city held a ceremony in which soil was collected from locations connected to Thomas's life; this soil was intended for transport to the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, as part of a broader national effort to memorialize victims of lynching.

Key facts

Victims
Benjamin Thomas
Date
2020
Location
Corner of King and Fairfax streets, Alexandria, Virginia
Case status
unsolved

Case timeline

  1. 1899-08-07

    Benjamin Thomas is arrested and accused of assaulting the 8-year-old daughter of a white neighbor; he is placed in the Alexandria jail.

  2. 1899-08-08

    A mob of hundreds of white residents surrounds the jail beginning around 10 PM; around midnight they break in, forcibly remove Thomas, beat him, place a noose around his neck, drag him roughly half a mile, and hang him to death at the corner of King and Fairfax streets.

  3. 2020

    The city of Alexandria begins publicly honoring Benjamin Thomas on the anniversary of his lynching.

  4. 2022

    Alexandria holds a ceremony collecting soil from locations connected to Thomas's life for transport to the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama.

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People

  • Benjamin Thomas

    VICTIM

    16-year-old Black teenager lynched by a mob in Alexandria, Virginia, on August 8, 1899, after being accused of assault; no trial or legal adjudication of the accusation occurred.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Corner of King and Fairfax streets, Alexandria, Virginia

38.8048, -77.0469

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Benjamin Thomas, a 16-year-old Black teenager, was seized from an Alexandria, Virginia jail by a mob of hundreds and lynched on August 8, 1899, one day after his arrest.
Where did the crime happen?
Corner of King and Fairfax streets, Alexandria, Virginia.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: unsolved.
More cases in Virginia

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICLynching of Benjamin ThomasWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — Alexandria lynchingThe Washington Post · 2026-07-10
  3. OFFICIAL / AGENCYBenjamin Thomas Historical Narrativemedia.alexandriava.gov · 2026-07-10

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