ELDRED, NY — In honor of Black History Month, the Town of Highland will hold a discussion about the 1892 lynching of Port Jervis resident Robert Lewis at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 10 at the town hall.

The speaker is Deerpark historian, retired detective and true-crime author Michael Worden, author of the book “Lynched by a Mob,” about Lewis’ murder.

Robert Lewis was a Black man, part of a small Black community in Port Jervis. His stepfather was one of several Civil War veterans in Port Jervis. His mother, a long-time resident, had moved to New Jersey some five years before the lynching.

A few other details were recounted in a historical brochure handed out during a commemoration of Lewis’ death in 2021. He had been arrested outside of the village in connection to the alleged rape of a white woman. A mob of about 2,000 people gathered and dragged him from police custody. They hanged Robert Lewis on E. Main St. 

Admission is free. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. 

The snow date is Saturday, February 24.

For more information, call Town of Highland Historian Debra Conway at 845/551-4808.

Liam Mayo contributed to this brief.