Construction began on the new Mississippi State Penitentiary, which became the main hub for Mississippi’s penal system. It was operated as a farm and known as Parchman Farm, after its first warden, J. M. “Jim” Parchman.
1901: Mississippi legislature purchases land in Sunflower County for state penitentiary
1901: Ida B. Wells-Barnett publishes Lynching and the Excuse For It
The book outlined Wells-Barnett’s theory that lynching was used to maintain white supremacy by discouraging blacks from becoming involved in politics.