McLane Massacre
West Gadsden Historical Society
will host Kenneth Edwards to share
family story of the McLane Massacre
GREENSBORO – The West Gadsden Historical Society will host Kenneth Edwards telling the story of the McLane Massacre on Sunday, Oct. 1 at the Greensboro Depot Railroad Museum in Greensboro.
The presentation will begin at 3 p.m. with Edwards, the McLane Family Historian, relaying the story of his three-time great-grandfather John Kenzie McLane’s horrific day of April 23, 1840, when a band of Creeks devastated the McLane homestead, and massacred his family, killing four people.
The barrel of McLane’s rifle – which he had carried in the Civil War – was found in the in the ruins of his burned home. The barrel was later donated to the Florida Archives in the early 1900s and will be on display at the museum in Greensboro.
McLane was born May 21, 1820 in Savannah, Chatham County, GA and died October 26, 1904, in Greensboro, Gadsden County, FL. John, with his mother, stepfather and three sisters settled several miles south of present-day Greensboro in the late 1830s.
Florida, still a territory of the United States at this time, was very sparsely populated. The McLane homestead was remote, and many miles away from other settlers. This was a time of the Seminole Wars. Unhappy with their native lands invaded, a band of Creeks raided the McLane homestead in 1840.
We will not tell you here of the enthralling story of John and his family’s encounter with the Creek Indians; you will have to come hear the story directly from Kenneth Edwards and view the unbelievable artifacts that have been passed down through the generations.
The Greensboro Depot Railroad Museum is located at 115 Duffle Avenue in Greensboro. The Museum will be open at 1 p.m. for viewing and as always, admission is free. For more information, please call (850) 694-1318.
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