Established historical record
Will Brown
Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska
Date of death: 1919-09-28 · Exact
Last verified: 2026-09-21
Record classification
Documented racial-terror lynching (historical)
Death involved
Multiple forms of violence (beating, hanging, shooting, burning)
Official cause of death
Not located
Official manner of death
Not located
Verified facts
History Nebraska reports that after Agnes Loebeck accused a Black man of assaulting her on September 25, 1919, Will Brown was arrested and identified by her and her companion. On September 28, 1919 a mob stormed the Douglas County Courthouse, where he was held, and lynched him. The EJI-erected marker states thousands of white people, aided by local law enforcement, lynched him. Local reporting describes him as beaten, hanged from a light pole, shot, dragged and burned. He maintained his innocence. He was accused but never tried.
Official finding
No conviction for the lynching located. The Clio states that after months of investigation the only arrests related to destruction of the courthouse.
·
Family statement
None located in sources reviewed.
Open questions
Age reported as about 40-41 (not confirmed). Sources conflict on identification (History Nebraska: Loebeck and Hoffman identified him; ABHM: she could not later identify him). Political motives (Tom Dennison) are a historian's suggestion ('may have'), not an established finding. A claim that a physical impairment prevented the crime is opinion reported by WOWT.
Sources
Historical research
Lest We Forget: The Lynching of Will Brown, Omaha's 1919 Race Riot (History Nebraska)nebraska.gov · Accessed 2026-09-20
Supports the imported factual summary. Confirm the exact claim and source independence during human editorial review.
Historical research
The Lynching of Will Brown marker NE1919092801 (JMU Lynching Markers database)jmu.edu · Accessed 2026-09-20
Supports the imported factual summary. Confirm the exact claim and source independence during human editorial review.
Historical research
Remembering the lynching of Will Brown (WOWT)wowt.com · Accessed 2026-09-20
Supports the imported factual summary. Confirm the exact claim and source independence during human editorial review.
Historical research
Omaha Race Riot and Lynching of Will Brown, 1919 (The Clio)theclio.com · Accessed 2026-09-20
Supports the imported factual summary. Confirm the exact claim and source independence during human editorial review.
Historical research
Will Brown (ABHM)abhmuseum.org · Accessed 2026-09-20
Supports the imported factual summary. Confirm the exact claim and source independence during human editorial review.