Walton and Oconee Counties

On July 25, 1946, George W. (1917-1946) and Mae Murray (1922-1946) Dorsey, and Roger (1922-1946) and Dorothy (1926-1946) Malcom were murdered by a group of ten to fifteen white men on a dirt road near the Apalachee River. The Moore’s Ford Bridge crosses near where the incident happened.

The two couples worked for farmer J. Loy Harrison (1903-1987) as sharecroppers. On July 11, Roger Malcom allegedly stabbed a white farmer, Barnette Hester (1917-1982). On July 25, Harrison bailed out Malcom and drove the Malcoms and Dorseys back towards the farm. As they neared the bridge, Harrison was forced to pull over while the the gang of white men proceeded to murder the two couples.

The case remains unsolved despite the FBI offering reward money for clues in solving the case. It is believed that Harrison and others in the community know who committed the murders, but no one ever came forward. Despite renewed interest in the case, the federal government chose to officially close the investigation on March 27, 2020.

A group reenacts the day’s events every year. You can follow their page to get more information.

This is highly recommended reading.

Laura Wexler’s Fire in a Canebrake: The Last Mass Lynching in America

This post will be updated to include Mae Murray Dorsey’s headstone that’s located in Zion Hill Cemetery.