The first recorded KKK cross burning in the modern era happened on November 25, 1915 , when William J. Simmons and 15 other men burned a cross on Stone Mountain, Georgia, marking the revival of the Ku Klux Klan.

Context

Cross burning was not originally a KKK practice ; its roots go back to older Scottish traditions, and the Klan adopted it later as an intimidation symbol. The early documented KKK use became especially associated with threats against Black Americans and other marginalized groups.

Why it matters

That 1915 event is widely treated as the start of the Klan’s modern cross- burning tradition. Later incidents continued to be used as racist intimidation, including examples in 1956, 1965, and 2009.

TL;DR

The KKK’s best-known cross-burning tradition began in 1915 , not earlier in the original Reconstruction-era Klan.