A city board on Thursday voted in favor of a plan to place a historical marker in honor of Margaret “Sis” Vinegar, a young Black woman who, at age 14 in 1882, survived a sexual assault by a white man but died in prison at age 20 after being wrongly convicted of the man’s murder.
Although the marker came before the Lawrence Historic Resources Commission in an atypical way, commissioners approved it and its placement near Eighth and Kentucky streets on a 7-0 vote.
Kerry Altenbernd, of the Lawrence/Douglas County Community Remembrance Project Coalition, summarized Vinegar’s story in the meeting agenda materials:
“Margaret Vinegar, known as “Sis”, was the 14-year-old daughter of Peter Vinegar whose sexual assault by David Bausman, a white farmer, led to the man’s death and the subsequent lynching of Isaac King, George Robertson, and the elder Vinegar from the Kansas River Bridge in Lawrence on June 10, 1882, by a large mob of Lawrence citizens.
“With no one else left to hold responsible for the death of Bausman, local authorities put Margaret Vinegar, who had escaped being the fourth lynching victim that June night by a single vote of the mob, on trial for murder. She was declared guilty of murder in Bausman’s death and incarcerated in the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing where she died of Tuberculosis at the age of 20.”
King, Robertson and Pete Vinegar are memorialized on a marker placed near Lawrence City Hall and the Kansas River. It was sponsored by the Equal Justice Initiative and dedicated in June 2022. The EJI, based in Montgomery, Alabama, provides historical markers at no cost to communities where any of the more than 4,400 documented racial terror lynchings occurred between 1877 and 1950 in the U.S.
Generally, the HRC’s marker subcommittee would consider and approve the language of a marker before it comes to the full HRC for a vote. However, “The Equal Justice Initiative thought her story so important that they offered to have a separate marker made to tell her story,” Altenbernd said via email ahead of the meeting. So this marker is already made and awaiting installation.
The marker subcommittee had reviewed the language Lynne Zollner, historic resources administrator, told the HRC Thursday evening.
Here’s what the marker looks like:
According to the memo in the agenda, the subcommittee also recommended that the marker be placed near Watson Park at Eighth and Kentucky streets.
However, Altenbernd wrote to the HRC that site could be problematic.
“Since the lynching marker is installed near to the site of the event that it memorializes, Margaret Vinegar’s marker should also be installed near to a site that is important to her story,” Altenbernd wrote. “At the time of her questionable conviction for murder, the court house was at the northeast corner of 8th and Kentucky … This was the first site consider for the marker installation, but further investigation of the site exposed problems with it. There is already a sign for Watson Park at that corner, and finding a good spot for the marker in what is already a tight space could prove problematic. The Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center is in that block, and the water slide is immediately behind the Watson Park sign. Because of this, there would be significant noise coming from the Aquatic Center during the summer which could negatively affect people attempting to read the marker and distract them from taking in its meaning. In addition, Kentucky Street is heavily traveled, and traffic noise could also add to the distraction year round.”
As an alternative, Altenbernd suggested an area near Eighth and Vermont streets, near the Senior Resource Center for Douglas County. Megan Poindexter, executive director of the SRC, submitted a letter in support of placing the marker there.
The Lawrence City Commission will consider the marker and location for final approval at a future meeting. If approved, Lawrence Parks and Recreation staff members would install the marker.
Altenbernd told the HRC that the hope is that the City Commission will approve the marker in time for it to be installed to hold a dedication on June 10, the first anniversary of the lynching marker’s installation and the 141st anniversary of the lynching.
The Historic Resources Commission on Thursday also welcomed Will Haynes, who is director of engagement and learning at the Watkins Museum of History, as a new member. The board now has all seven positions filled.
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More coverage: Lawrence/Douglas County Community Remembrance Project
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Lawrence City Commission approves marker honoring Margaret ‘Sis’ Vinegar
The Lawrence City Commission voted Tuesday to approve a plan to place a historical marker in honor of Margaret “Sis” Vinegar, a young Black woman who, at age 14 in 1882, survived a sexual assault by a white man but died in prison at age 20 after being wrongly convicted of the man’s murder.
Historic Resources Commission approves marker honoring Margaret ‘Sis’ Vinegar
A city board on Thursday voted in favor of a plan to place a historical marker in honor of Margaret “Sis” Vinegar, a young Black woman who, at age 14 in 1882, survived a sexual assault by a white man but died in prison at age 20 after being wrongly convicted of the man’s murder.
Lawrence Historic Resources Commission to consider marker in honor of Margaret ‘Sis’ Vinegar
A city board on Thursday will consider a plan to place a historical marker in honor of Margaret “Sis” Vinegar, a young Black woman who, at age 14 in 1882, survived a sexual assault by a white man but died in prison at age 20 after being wrongly convicted of the man’s murder.
Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
