THE BATTLE FOR PALATKA

When courage defeated Klan violence in Putnam

  • Photo illustration from the book “Age of Barbarity: The Forgotten Fight for the Soul of Florida.”
    Photo illustration from the book “Age of Barbarity: The Forgotten Fight for the Soul of Florida.”
  • Hagan
    Hagan
  • Sheriff Peter Hagan’s grave is denoted by a simple stone marker beside a larger, Hagan family stone that carries no names at Peniel Church Cemetery.
    Sheriff Peter Hagan’s grave is denoted by a simple stone marker beside a larger, Hagan family stone that carries no names at Peniel Church Cemetery.
  • The World War I memorial to Putnam County’s military dead sits in the eastern shadow of the Confederate soldier monument on the Putnam County Courthouse lawn. The historic markers were erected in 1921 and 1924, respectively.
    The World War I memorial to Putnam County’s military dead sits in the eastern shadow of the Confederate soldier monument on the Putnam County Courthouse lawn. The historic markers were erected in 1921 and 1924, respectively.
By Billy Townsend Special to the Palatka Daily News   PALATKA — Peter Hagan opened the door to the jail warily, just after midnight on March 23, 1923.  Out of the night, a half-dozen men leveled…

Premium Content is available to subscribers only. Please login here to access content or go here to purchase a subscription.