The Last Lynching in Northern Virginia: Seeking Truth at Rattlesnake Mountain

In 1932, a black man was found hanging on Rattlesnake Mountain in Fauquier County. A mob set fire to his body. Officials identified the remains as Shedrick Thompson, wanted for the abduction and rape of a local white woman. Some claimed Thompson killed himself—the final act of a desperate fugitive. But residents knew better, calling the tragedy a lynching—the last one known in Virginia. Author Jim Hall takes an in-depth look at the events to expose a complex and disturbing chapter in Virginia history.