September 7, 2023
The public is invited to a Lunch & Learn at Laurel Ridge featuring retired journalist Jim Hall at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 27, in The Barn on the Fauquier Campus. Lunch will be provided to attendees. Hall will be discussing his book, “Condemned for Love in Old Virginia: The Lynching of Arthur Jordan.” His first book, “The Last Lynching in Northern Virginia: Seeking Truth at Rattlesnake Mountain,” was published in 2016.
Hall’s long journalism career included 26 years at the Free-Lance Star in Fredericksburg. Hall said he did his thesis for his master’s degree in mass communication at Virginia Commonwealth University on how Virginia’s newspapers covered lynchings.
Following the publication of his first book, Hall was put in touch with Kirk Goolsby.
“He said, ‘I think I found the hanging tree,’” Hall recounted.
The tree in question was in the Warrenton Cemetery and is thought to be where Jordan, a Black man, was hanged for having a love affair with a White woman named Elvira Corder, who became pregnant in 1880. Hall said a drawing of the lynching was used to help pinpoint the location.
During the presentation at the college, Hall will focus on three subjects: lynchings in general, particularly in the Deep South, lynchings in Virginia, and then the Arthur Jordan case.
“As a society, we have to recognize what happened,” Hall said. “We have to acknowledge the truth of what happened, and only then can we reconcile and move on and become the world that we want to be. I’m persuaded by that. These talks are a small way of talking truth. I’m to this day amazed at how many people have no idea that these cases happened in their backyard.”
Open Book will be selling books at the event, which is free to the public. For more information, visit laurelridge.edu/hall.
Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With three locations — Middletown, Warrenton, and Luray-Page County — the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. Laurel Ridge Community College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities. Laurel Ridge shall promote and maintain equal employment and educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, age (except when age is a bona fide occupational qualification), status as a veteran, national origin, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment. Inquiries may be directed to the Associate Vice President, Human Resources, [email protected], 173 Skirmisher Lane, Middletown, VA 22645, 540-868-7226.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.