The last widely cited, formally documented lynching in Ohio is generally considered to be the killing of Richard Dickerson in Springfield, Ohio, on March 7, 1904.

Quick answer

  • Most historical references identify March 7, 1904 as the date of the last recorded lynching in Ohio, when a white mob took Richard Dickerson from the county jail in Springfield and hanged him from a telegraph pole.
  • After his death, the mob continued to fire into his body, and state troops were eventually sent in to restore order, underlining how public and terroristic this act was.

What “last lynching in Ohio” means

Historians usually mean:

  • A killing by a mob, outside the legal system.
  • Public, collective violence used as racial terror, often against Black victims.

Because records before the mid‑20th century are incomplete and definitions vary, some scholars are cautious about saying absolutely final, but Dickerson’s murder in 1904 is the last officially recognized lynching in Ohio in most reference works.

Brief context on the Dickerson lynching

  • Richard Dickerson, a Black man, was jailed after being accused of killing a white police officer in Springfield, Ohio.
  • A mob overpowered local law enforcement, dragged him from the jail, hanged him from a telegraph pole, and then used his body for target practice while crowds looked on.
  • The governor sent units of the Ohio National Guard into the city afterward, which is one reason the event is so well documented in state and national records.

Why this still matters

  • Lynching in Ohio was part of a national system of racial terror that extended beyond the Deep South, targeting Black communities even in so‑called “northern” or “Midwestern” states.
  • Recent memorial efforts in Ohio—such as projects commemorating victims like Henry Howard in Coshocton County and Christopher Davis in Athens—are meant to confront this history openly and connect it to ongoing conversations about racial violence and justice.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.