10 Sundown Towns That Shaped A Dark Chapter In Black American History

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Sundown towns are a haunting but often overlooked chapter in American history. These were communities that, through law, intimidation, or violence, systematically excluded Black Americans and other minorities, particularly after sunset. The name “Sundown Town” comes from signs posted at city limits warning non-white people to leave town by sundown, or face dangerous consequences.

What Were Sundown Towns?

A Sundown town was a place where racial exclusion was enforced by formal ordinances or informal threats and violence. While the term is most often associated with anti-Black racism, many Sundown Towns also excluded Jewish, Chinese, Native American, and Mexican people. These towns were most common between 1714 and the 1960s, the peak period of Jim Crow segregation. However, their legacy and, in some cases, their demographics persist to this day.

As previously reported, the earliest known legal restrictions targeting the nighttime movements of Black people in the U.S. can be traced back to the 1714 law titled “An Act to Prevent Disorders in the Night.” This discriminatory legislation used racist language to scapegoat Indigenous people, Black individuals, and mixed-race (referred to then as “mulatto”) enslaved people for criminal activity after dark. The law effectively criminalized the presence of any person of color outside their home after 9 p.m., enforcing curfews that laid the groundwork for later forms of radicalized policing.

How Did They Work?

Sundown Towns enforced racial boundaries through a combination of legal, social, and violent means. City ordinances and real estate covenants often prohibited non-white individuals from buying or renting property, effectively locking them out of entire communities. Police harassment, threats, and arrests were commonly used to intimidate those who dared to stay or even pass through. In many cases, violence or the threat of mob action was deployed against Black travelers or residents who violated these unwritten “rules.” These restrictions were often reinforced by “sunset laws,” posted signs, or informal warnings communicated through word of mouth, all designed to maintain racial exclusion after dark.

Though they existed in both the North and South, Sundown Towns were especially prevalent in the Midwest and West, shattering the myth that racism was confined to the American South.

Ferguson, Missouri, was once a sundown town, according to History and Social Justice. White people living in Ferguson were known to block Black residents living in the nearby town, Kinloch, from entering. Kinloch became the first Black city incorporated in Missouri in 1948, but it was quickly met with opposition. White members would put up chains, blocking the road so that residents couldn’t enter after a certain time. “Between 1940-60, while Ferguson’s white population grew by almost 400%, its black population was cut by 60%,” the site noted. 

Many sundown towns have never publicly acknowledged their exclusionary pasts, and some retain a startling lack of diversity even today. This can affect everything from housing policy to school demographics, economic opportunity, and community safety for people of color. Notably, Ferguson was the same place where 18-year-old Michael Brown would die at the hands of a white former Missouri police officer named Darren Wilson. Wilson was not charged for the fatal shooting of the teenager, who was unarmed, had his hands raised, according to many witnesses. But Wilson contended, without credible proof, that Brown had attacked him and that he had acted out of fear for his life during their encounter. 

Sundown towns may no longer be a reality, but their haunting history still lives on. Here are 10 sundown towns you should know about. 

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