Whipping post removed from Delaware courthouse square

In this undated photo from the Delaware Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs a whipping post is displayed on the grounds of the Old Sussex County Courthouse near the Circle in Georgetown, Del. Delaware officials are set to remove the post that was historically used to hold people as they were publicly lashed for committing crimes. The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs says it will bring down the concrete post on Wednesday, July 1, 2020 and place it in a Dover storage unit with other historical artifacts, according to a statement issued by the agency Tuesday, June 30. (Delaware Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs via AP)

by: The Associated Press and Nexstar Media Wire

Posted: Jul 2, 2020 / 08:20 AM EDT

Updated: Jul 2, 2020 / 08:20 AM EDT

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GEORGETOWN, Del. (AP) — An 8-foot (2.4 meters) tall whipping post was removed from a Delaware county courthouse square Wednesday after activists said the post was a reminder of racial discrimination.

The post outside the Sussex County Courthouse in Georgetown was removed after an hour and a half of excavation and put in storage unit with other historical artifacts.

The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs said the post was used to bind and whip people publicly for committing crimes up until 1952.

However, Black people were disproportionately punished, according to the historical group.

The group said the post was a “cold deadpan display” that didn’t “adequately account for the traumatic legacy it represents.”