Dam Site Murders
This item is a copy of a black & white photograph of the dam site where the bodies of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney were found two weeks after their disappearance on June 21st, 1964. The original picture was likely taken either shortly before the dam site was dug up or long after the earth was replaced. Michael Schwerner’s activism caught the attention of the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi, and they descended on a local church meeting in search of him on June 16th. Failing to find him, they beat the church members and burned down the building. However, Michael went to visit the church with Andrew Goodman and James Chaney on June 20th, interviewing witnesses and meeting with fellow activists. The KKK hadn’t given up, though, and on June 21st, Michael, Andrew, and James were arrested and detained by a Neshoba County Deputy Sheriff, “allegedly for speeding” ("Mississippi Burning"). After being released later that night, the three were never heard from again.
An investigation was initiated the following morning, and agents swept the area. By the following afternoon (June 23rd), a burnt blue station wagon was discovered, but no bodies were found. A large search was initiated, and the FBI worked with the National Guard to sweep back roads and swamps in search of the three men. Finally, on August 4th, 1964, the bodies of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodmen, and James Chaney were discovered beneath an earthen dam on a local farm, and their remains were recovered ("Mississippi Burning").
Though the death of these three Civil Rights activists made national news, helping bring the events of Freedom Summer to light, they likely weren't the only casualties of the push for equal voting rights in Mississippi. The KKK had long been active in the South, oppressing African American communities and quelling resistance with both fear and force. Freedom Summer fought against this regime of violence and terror, bringing attention to voting disparity in the South and breaking ground for new legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Sources:
“Mississippi Burning.” FBI.gov, 18 May 2016, www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/mississippi-burning.