Town Council Work Session
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What is the proposed historical highway marker for the 1902 Charles Craven lynching site?
Thank you.
Council work session of February 12th. And our first item for discussion is the historical highway marker. And Ms. Trask is doing this
one. Okay. So Mayor and Town Council, good evening. Tonight I would like to discuss the placement of a historical highway marker at the location of the 1902 lynching of Charles Craven. The request for this historical marker started in 2018 when the Loudoun NAACP approached the town to jointly erect a historical marker to memorialize Charles Craven who was lynched in 1902. It was at the September 11, 2018, council meeting that a resolution passed that endorsed the installation of a historical highway marker near the location of the lynching. And the resolution noted that the NAACP would be willing to raise the funds necessary to pay for the marker and would work with the town on the placement of the marker.
This is an example of a historical highway marker that is through the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. So the text for the marker that we're proposing will be written by the NAACP. So I wanted to share some of the history of the 1902 lynching of Charles Craven. Based on the research conducted by the Loudon NAACP and from documents provided by the Balch Library, we understand that in July of 1902, Charles Craven, a young black man, was arrested for the murder of a Confederate veteran. A mob charged the Leesburg jail, captured Mr. Craven, and took him to Leesburg's potter's field. And it was there that he was hanged and shot. The site of the lynching was Potter's Field. That is approximately at the intersection of Catoctin Circle and East Market Street.
I have a couple maps here to show you. So on the top there, you'll see the star, which is somewhere between the bank and the Wendy's on East Market Street on the north side. The X in the bottom, yes, it's right on the dogwood tree. So that is about the location where we're proposing this marker.
The anticipated costs for historical highway marker totals about $6,400. It is anticipated that the NAACP would fund the application to the Department of Historical Resources, and that's about $3,400, and the town's cost would be $3,000, and that's to get the plat and easement, because the location of the marker is on private property, as well as about $500 for the installation.
So the timeline for this project, once we have your decision tonight, would be to work with the NAACP to put together the text and the application that is due to the Department of Historical Resources by May 1st. So the DHR has a rotating schedule of applications, so this would be the first one that we're eligible to meet. The Department of Historic Resources only chooses five applications for each batch that they get. So it would be in July that we would find out if we have been selected. And then they would go through the editorial committee to determine if the text is approved for that marker. And then it goes to a public hearing sometime in that August, September. We're a little loose on these dates because it's not nailed down through DHR.
So then it would go to the public hearing. Then the DHR has a foundry they work with that actually creates the historical marker. So that would happen sometime in September. And then in November, hopefully, we would have that to install. So I did want to note that if in May or July, if we weren't to make that approved list, then we would have to reapply for the next round of applications. So that's how it works. So you don't automatically get pushed to the next batch is our understanding. We would just take that application and reapply again.
When can you
reapply? I believe that next one is like a September deadline. It's like four times a year.
Four times
a year. Right. All right. So tonight we have a motion before you for the installation and maintenance of a historical highway marker near the site where Charles Craven was lynched in 1902.
And we don't, it's a work session, so we don't do a
motion tonight. Oh, we didn't, no.
I will see if people
are
interested in putting it on consent
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Agenda
8 items
1
What is the proposed historical highway marker for the 1902 Charles Craven lynching site?
0:20–9:13
2
How much will the historical marker cost and what is the timeline for its approval?
9:13–15:25
3
What are the key components of Leesburg’s stormwater management program (MS4)?
15:25–22:47
4
How does the town track and inspect stormwater outfalls and facilities?
22:47–30:34
5
What maintenance tasks are required for stormwater ponds and underground facilities?
30:34–35:38
6
How does the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program reduce nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus?
35:38–42:39
7
What impact have plastic‑bag bans had on stormwater pollution in Leesburg?
42:39–49:03
8
What proclamations were adopted and what are the next steps for the council?
49:03–56:58
Speakers
4 identifiedOfficials recognised by voice; public commenters shown as “Speaker N” unless they state their name.