Lumbee vs. KKK at Hayes Pond

I know. It sounds very odd, huh? Why would the KKK come to a small town such as Maxton, North Carolina to host a rally meeting? This is the same thing that many Black and Lumbee people who inhabited the area wondered as well. 

On January 18, 1958, some members of the Ku Klux Klan were set to hold a rally in a field that they leased in Maxton, called Hayes Pond. People knew of this rally for some time, as it had been announced many weeks in advance. Maxton Mayor Bob Fisher reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for help, knowing that violence would surely occur at this rally. 

The Klan leader from South Carolina, James Cole, also known as Catfish, had announced that he was going to put the "Indian N******" of Robeson County in their place. People from the Lumbee tribe and other members from the community were furious, and went to this field wielding shotguns and rifles, ready to take on these hooded deviants. 

Reportedly, on the way to the field, black members of the community offered their support if needed. However, the Lumbee people insisted that they had it under control. The Lumbee men confronted the klansmen, and after a heated exchange, shots were fired. 

A Lumbee man had shot the bulb out of the only light in the field. The klansmen were in total darkness in an unfamiliar area, around hundreds of men who knew their way around the area blindfolded. Not to mention they had guns. Lots of them.

The klansmen ran off, leaving their flags, their cross for burning, and scattered through the woods, in retreat. The Lumbee had scared off the infamous KKK, and the news spread FAST. This made national headlines. LIFE magazine covered it, letters of support from all over the country poured in. Lumbee men, Simeon Oxendine and Charlie Warriax, took photographs with the Klan flag.

This is still a huge part of the Lumbee story. Lumbee politicians use our bravery against the KKK in campaign ads. People who were there often recount the memories to their children and grandchildren, as well as other members of the tribe who will give a listening ear. 

Verdia Locklear, who was 24 years old and pregnant at the time, recounts her memory of this event.

This is a time that made Lumbee people proud, and still our tribe reflects on this historical event with pride.