Memphis Massacre (1866) and Court Square

In May 1866 a race riot, commonly called the Memphis Massacre, erupted when violent clashes between white policemen and Black Union veterans and residents escalated into widespread attacks on Black neighborhoods; violence spread through downtown areas including around Court Square. Contemporary reports and later historical studies identify Court Square as one of the locales tied to the outbreak and subsequent mob actions that killed and injured dozens and destroyed property. The event is widely documented as an early Reconstruction-era racial massacre with lasting impact on Memphis's Black community.