Home » Indiana » Brownstown

James W. Loewen (1942-2021)

We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began.

Brownstown

Indiana

Basic Information

Type of Place
Independent City or Town
Metro Area
Politics c. 1860?
Don’t Know
Unions, Organized Labor?
Don’t Know

Sundown Town Status

Sundown Town in the Past?
Surely
Was there an ordinance?
Don't Know
Sign?
Yes, Strong Oral Tradition
Year of Greatest Interest
Still Sundown?
Probably

Census Information

The available census data from 1860 to the present
Total White Black Asian Native Hispanic Other BHshld
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960 2140 0
1970 2376 0
1980
1990 2872 2 0
2000 2978 3 7 7 18
2010
2020

Method of Exclusion

  • Threat of Violence

Main Ethnic Group(s)

  • Unknown

Group(s) Excluded

  • Black

Comments

Brownstown, the small town ten miles from Seymour, reputedly had a sign at the edge of town, “Nigger don’t let the sun set on your head in Brownstown.”

An Indiana lawyer saw the sign in 1963 while visiting relatives.