January 20, 1919.  Hillsboro, Texas.  The county seat of Hill County was tense, and the locals were not happy.  It was a time of economic and cultural change.  Hillsboro was still a rural, agricultural community.  It’s proximity to Dallas that we take for granted today was measured in hours not minutes.  The 6000 residents or so were coping with the changes of the time – automobiles and motorized vehicles were becoming more prevalent.  Electricity was more widely available, but in rural areas only 10-15% of homesteads had connections.  But times were changing. World War I had sparked a push for change in the South, as Black veterans returning from the war demanded greater respect and civil rights, inspired by their contributions to the war effort. However, this push for equality was met with fierce resistance, leading to heightened tensions and a surge in violence, including the Red Summer of 1919.  But before summer would come, little Hillsboro would be the site of one of the most grotesque and condemned lynchings in US history.   Join us today for a troubling chapter in Texas history as we look at the arrest, trial and lynching of Bragg Williams.

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