The Hanging Tree

This giant oak tree that stands on a dead end road near the Ambraw River on the Crawford-Lawrence County line was used to hang a man, named Billy Ray, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. Billy Ray was lynched for the offence of stealing horses in the area south of Flat Rock. It should be noted that a few years earlier, Billy Ray had killed a man named Mason Goff who lived within spitting distance of this tree. He got away with that murder only to pay dearly for dealing in horseflesh. There was more killing and chicanery to come around the hanging tree during the Civil War, as folks in the neighborhood couldn't decide which side of the struggle to fight for. You can read more about the hanging tree in my upcoming book South Union in November of 2012. In the meantime... Buy more Books