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Marker to Commemorate Highly Controversial Trial and Lynching of Jewish American

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Atlanta, GA - March 5, 2008.  The Georgia Historical Society announces the dedication of a new historical marker this Friday, March 7, 2008 at 2:00 P.M.  The marker, entitled Leo Frank Lynching,  marks the site of Frank's 1915 lynching and recognizes the historical significance of the Frank case in the development of both the modern Ku Klux Klan and the Anti-Defamation League. "This is one of the most controversial and sensational events in Georgia and American History," said Dr. W. Todd Groce, GHS President and CEO. "GHS is committed to telling the story of all of Georgia's history. Otherwise we gain nothing by way of understanding the past. It's surprising this spot hasn't already been marked."

The ceremony will take place in Marietta at 1200 Roswell Road- the location of the historical marker near the site of the Frank lynching.  Former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes is scheduled to speak at the dedication.  The marker text reads as follows:

Near this location on August 17, 1915, Leo M. Frank, the Jewish superintendent of the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, was lynched for the murder of thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan, a factory employee.  A highly controversial trial fueled by societal tensions and anti-Semitism resulted in a guilty verdict in 1913.  After Governor John M. Slaton commuted his sentence from death to life in prison, Frank was kidnapped from the state prison in Milledgeville and taken to Phagan's hometown of Marietta where he was hanged before a local crowd.  Without addressing guilt or innocence, and in recognition of the state's failure to either protect Frank or bring his killers to justice, he was granted a posthumous pardon in 1986.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, and Temple Kol Emeth

The markers, which recognize people, places and events, tell the story of Georgia's past in a format that is accessible to residents and visitors alike and are an effective tool for economic development, encouraging local tourism and general state-wide interest.  GHS has administered Georgia's historical marker program since 1998, erecting over 140 markers statewide. 

For more information on the Georgia Historical Marker Program, please visit www.georgiahistory.com or call us at 912-651-2125.