True Crime Historian

The Rosewood MassacrEpisode 284 is dedicated to True Crime Historian patron Mary Virginia Avery who lives near what used to be Rosewood, Florida, where the probably unfounded accusation of a black man for assaulting a white woman led to the destruction of the town and the banishment from Levy County of all of its citizens. Because incidents like this were numerous and under-reported, I’ve included accounts of some of the racial unrest in that area that researchers believe contributed to the rage that was exhibited that night, and also some passages from a report produced in 1993 based on interviews with survivors. Although I’ve edited the news reports to lighten the obvious racial bias, there are times when I felt it important to read them as written, so be aware that the language may be strong at times. History is not always pretty, and I don’t think it endorses the racism of the day to bring it into light. I believe that all of my stories are cautionary tales, and it’s too easy to see echoes of these events