Rosewood Massacre — the full case file

No one has ever been charged in the Rosewood Massacre. In early January 1923, white mobs in rural Levy County, Florida, killed at least six Black residents and destroyed the predominantly Black community of Rosewood after a white woman in nearby Sumner alleged she had been assaulted by a Black man; two white men were also killed in the resulting violence, and no one was ever prosecuted. In 1847, Rosewood is settled in Levy County, Florida, near Cedar Key. In 1915, Rosewood's population peaks at approximately 355 residents. In December 1922, the Perry massacre occurs in Perry, Florida, weeks before the Rosewood violence. On January 1, 1923, Fannie Taylor reports being assaulted in her home in Sumner, Florida, triggering a search for a Black suspect. On January 2, 1923, a mob tortures and fatally shoots Sam Carter, a Black blacksmith, and hangs his body from a tree. On January 4, 1923, an armed white mob besieges the Carrier house in Rosewood; Sarah Carrier, Sylvester Carrier, C. P. "Poly" Wilkerson, and Henry Andrews are killed in the resulting gunfire. On January 5, 1923, a larger mob forms; Lexie Gordon and Mingo Williams are killed, and James Carrier is tortured and shot after being located by the mob. On January 6, 1923, Train conductors John and William Bryce and store owner John Wright help evacuate Black survivors from Rosewood to Gainesville. On January 7, 1923, a mob of 100 to 150 white men burns the remaining structures in Rosewood. In February 1923, an all-white grand jury convenes in Bronson, hears 25 witnesses, and finds insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone. In 1982, Journalist Gary Moore begins investigating and reporting on the Rosewood massacre for the St. Petersburg Times. In 1993, Survivors and descendants file a lawsuit against the state of Florida; the Florida Legislature commissions a report on the massacre. In 1997, a feature film about the massacre, directed by John Singleton, is released. In 2004, the state of Florida designates the site of Rosewood as a Florida Heritage Landmark. The case remains unsolved. This case file is kept in memory of its eight victims and the people they loved. The full sourced case file, with every fact cited, is at casepin dot org.

Transcript from the video’s narration track. For every source, open the case file.