Nov 28, 2019
10 min read
The Divisive Death of Mary Phagan
The shocking child murder that divided the nation
Mary Phagan was born on June 1, 1899, to a farming family in Florence, Alabama. Her mother was the widow Frances Phagan; Mary’s father succumbed to the measles before she was born. The family found themselves in dire straits and moved to Bellwood, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Frances ran a boarding house to make ends meet…
