Two (2) Tennessee Ku Klux Klan related handwritten letters. 1st item: One double-sided page handwritten letter from the KKK written with the intention of threatening another unidentified individual about their activities during and after the Civil War, undated, circa 1866-71. The letter writer states "…you Robed[sic] Mr. Marsh of his cotton by Reporting falsy[sic] to the yankeys[sic]…you and your crowd…Rob Mr McCrary out of four or five hundred dollars…and we understand that you and Billey McClure are watching every chance to trades for old clames[sic] to bring up against…the people of this country…And we want you to under s[t]and that you have escaped long [enough]…you had beter[sic] look out for we have stood it as long as we are going to" signed "K.K.K." with the image of a coffin beside it. 2nd item: One-page handwritten letter from the KKK written with the intention of threatening Mr. A(ngenol) Cox, Pulaski, TN, undated, circa 1866-71. The letter writer warns "…Poor Coxs A Cocks without a Hole, and the Delegation from the city of [Pulaski] you had better go Home and tend to you[r] Busine[s]s you poor set of Rascals and let the Peace alone or the Militia will [wallop] you …" illegible signature below. Includes an envelope with a red three-cent George Washington stamp. Biography: "Angenol Cox was a prominent businessman in Pulaski at the time of this letter. He was most likely a Unionist and made quite a bit of money at the end of the Civil War and it is believed he acquired land that had been abandoned by Confederates. In the 1870 Census his real estate is valued at $100,000 and personal property at $32,000. He built Antoinette Hall (Pulaski Opera House) in late 1868 after the East side of the Pulaski square burned on April 23, 1868." (courtesy John S. Lancaster, President, Giles County Historical Society). Note: The first Klan was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, on December 24, 1865.

PROVENANCE: Property of the Lincoln County Museum, Fayetteville, TN; Bequest of Mary Bright Wilson (1909-2004), formerly of Fayetteville, and descended in her family.

CONDITION: Both items in overall good, legible condition with toning/acid burn, tears, areas of loss, foxing spots, dampstaining, to be expected from age and manner of use.