Historical marker honoring lynching victim vandalized months after unveiling in Rolesville

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Saturday, January 18, 2025
Historic George Taylor memorial marker in Rolesville vandalized
Police said the incident happened on Dec. 17 months after it was unveiled.

ROLESVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A historic marker in Rolesville for a man who was lynched in Wake County in 1918 was vandalized months after it was unveiled.

Rolesville Police said the incident happened on Dec. 17. The department shared photos of the George Taylor Memorial on Main Street after officers found the sign and pole knocked to the ground.

Police said it appeared that a vehicle was used to knock the sign down and they are working to find the person responsible.

Rolesville town leaders and the Wake County Community Remembrance Coalition unveiled the memorial on Sept. 24.

The marker was dedicated to George Taylor, an African American man who was lynched two miles southeast of Rolesville in 1918. His death remains one of the only documented lynching to happen in Wake County.

The marker was replaced with a new one and security cameras were added in the surrounding areas.

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