"On March 23rd, 1896, a black man, Thomas Washington, was lynched in Essex County for attempting to assault a little girl of a prominent white citizen.

Thomas Washington allegedly tried to assault the 9-year-old daughter of a prominent white citizen in Essex County. On the night of March 23rd, 1896, Washington was hanged to a tree on the public road between Cedar Fork and Centre Cross, south of Tappahannock. The coroner jury viewed the remains of Washington and found that he came to his death by hanging in a tree by the hands of unknown parties. The lynching of Thomas Washington was the first to occur since the election of Governor O’Farrell (Richmond Planet)."