Black History Month: Jaybird-Woodpecker War

Program Type:

Lectures, History/Genealogy

Age Group:

Young Adult, Adult
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Description

Dr. Nicholas Cox, from the Houston Community College, will be talking about the Jaybird-Woodpecker War, which took place in Richmond, TX, in 1889. 

"The Jaybird-Woodpecker War was a feud between two political factions for the control of Fort Bend County. The Jaybirds, representing the wealth and about 90 percent of the White population, were the regular Democrats who sought to rid the county of the Republican government that had gained control during Reconstruction. The Woodpeckers, numbering about forty persons and also claiming to be Democrats, were the officials and former officials who held office as a result of the Black vote for the Republican ticket. Former friends, neighbors, and relatives became bitter enemies as a result of the feud."

Pauline Yelderman, “Jaybird-Woodpecker War,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed December 28, 2022, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/jaybird-woodpecker-war.

Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

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