SUMNER — A new historical marker will replace a vandalized one at the River Road site where Emmett Till’s mutilated body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River during the summer of 1955.
John Wilchie, co-chairman of the local Emmett Till Memorial Commission, told members of the Tallahatchie County Board of Supervisors Friday that the new sign will be only temporary.
Built by Charleston Industries, the $1,200 sign is being hurried into place for an upcoming National Park Service ceremony at the site, Wilchie explained.
He said this marker will be the third placed by the commission at the Tallahatchie County civil rights site situated near the bank of the river.
The first was vandalized, then stolen, not long after being placed some 10 years ago. The second, now housed for planned display at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, was apparently used for target practice by vandals. The bullet-riddled sign remained at the River Road site for about eight years before being retired.
Other historical markers placed by the commission dot the Tallahatchie County and surrounding landscape, paying tribute to important sites related to the Emmett Till murder case. Most of those have been untouched by vandals, but the River Road location has been problematic, probably because it is located in an isolated rural area, officials have theorized.
In 2016, the Emmett Till Memorial Commission launched a GoFundMe online campaign to solicit private donations for a new historical marker for the River Road site. The effort resulted in 574 contributors donating a total of $27,000, according to the Emmett Till Interpretive Center’s website.
Wilchie said the commission is using those funds to commission the manufacture of a new permanent memorial marker made of special materials that presumably could withstand gunshots.
“It’s supposed to be bulletproof,” Wilchie said, telling supervisors that the cost of the coming sign is between $20,000 and $30,000.
IN THE PHOTO: John Wilchie, co-chairman of the Emmett Till Memorial Commission, stands with (below) a bullet-riddled historical marker and (above) the new sign that will be erected as its temporary replacement. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
