Sam Head or SamHead

[BossJoss]

I am new here so please forgive me if I am not posting correctly. I am searching for information on an incident that occurred in North Carolina, I do not have a lot of information but here is what I do have. It happened on the 903 highway, a man named Sam either unalived themselves or someone caused the hanging but apparently the persons head was left still hanging with the rope while the body detached and fell to the ground. There is a school now built near the sight of the incident which has been there since at least 1953. The school was then named Sambeadd school oddly enough. There is a substation also named Sam Head. If anyone has information about this please let me know.

 

[doublestop]

I found some old North Carolina newspaper articles from the 1800s referring to Sam's Head (the earliest was 1885). It was a small area in Palmyra Township, Halifax County not far from Scotland Neck. There was school is there at least into the 1940s which would predate the one built in 1953. It appears to have been a school specifically for black children. I wonder if Sam's Head was perhaps named because it was near Scotland Neck? I suspect the story about the hanging may be a ghost story that grew up over time because of the area's name, but who knows. I could find nothing confirming the story.

 

[doublestop]

A photo of Sam's Head School, which was a Rosenwald school. The purpose of Rosenwald Schools was to address the poor state of African American education in the United States. By 1928, one-third of the rural black school children and teachers located in the South attended Rosenwald Schools.

 

[BossJoss]

I found some old North Carolina newspaper articles from the 1800s referring to Sam's Head (the earliest was 1885). It was a small area in Palmyra Township, Halifax County not far from Scotland Neck. There was school is there at least into the 1940s which would predate the one built in 1953. It appears to have been a school specifically for black children. I wonder if Sam's Head was perhaps named because it was near Scotland Neck? I suspect the story about the hanging may be a ghost story that grew up over time because of the area's name, but who knows. I could find nothing confirming the story.

I appreciate the reply and the research you did, this is definitely a start, I too was wondering if it will turn out to just be a ghost story.

 

[doublestop]

Roanoke Rapids is the largest town in the county. I'd try contacting the local library or historical society, if there is one, and see what they know.

 

[BossJoss]

Roanoke Rapids is the largest town in the county. I'd try contacting the local library or historical society, if there is one, and see what they know.

will do thank you!

 

[BossJoss]

I found some old North Carolina newspaper articles from the 1800s referring to Sam's Head (the earliest was 1885). It was a small area in Palmyra Township, Halifax County not far from Scotland Neck. There was school is there at least into the 1940s which would predate the one built in 1953. It appears to have been a school specifically for black children. I wonder if Sam's Head was perhaps named because it was near Scotland Neck? I suspect the story about the hanging may be a ghost story that grew up over time because of the area's name, but who knows. I could find nothing confirming the story.

I searched for newspaper articles, may I ask where you looked for what you found?

 

[doublestop]

I searched for newspaper articles, may I ask where you looked for what you found?

Newspapers.com