Olen Lovell Burrage

Burrage was born in Neshoba County, Mississippi, on March 16, 1930.[1] He served in the United States Marine Corps during the 1950s.[1] He was honorably discharged and later started Burrage Trucking, Inc.[1] Burrage sold his trucking company in 1990 and dabbled in cattle farming and timberland resources.[1] He was a Shriner, Mason, and a deacon at a Baptist church.[1]

Burrage lived most of his life in Mississippi except when he lived in Houston, Texas, working as a bus driver.[1] Burrage owned a large amount of land in Neshoba County.

In the afternoon of June 21, 1964, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, & Michael Schwerner arrived at Longdale to inspect the burned out church in Neshoba County. They left Longdale around 3 p.m. They were to be in Meridian by 4 p.m. that day. The fastest route to Meridian was through Philadelphia. At the fork of Beacon & Main Street, their station wagon sustained a flat tire. It is possible that a shot was fired at the station wagon's tire. Rainey's home was near the Beacon & Main Street fork. Deputy Cecil Price soon arrived and escorted them to the county jail. Price released the trio as soon as the longest day of the year became night which was about 10 p.m. The three were last seen heading south along Highway 19 toward Meridian.

Burrage was developing a cattle farm, named the Old Jolly Farm, on Highway 21 which was a few miles southwest of Philadelphia.[2] Burrage hired Herman Tucker to build a dam.[2] Tucker was a part-time driver for Burrage, and Tucker owned two Caterpillar bulldozers.[2]

Sometime before the murders, Burrage remarked about the "invasion" of Civil Rights workers coming to Mississippi. Burrage allegedly proclaimed that, "Hell, I've got a dam that'll hold a hundred of them."[3]

In December 1964, Burrage was placed under arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for violation of Title 18, Section 241, United States Code.

He was officially arrested at 8:27 a.m., December 4, 1964, and transported via Highway 16 out of Philadelphia, Mississippi east to DeKalb, Mississippi and south from DeKalb on Highway 39 to the Naval Auxiliary Air Station, Meridian, Mississippi where he was taken to the Bachelor Officers Quarters on the base.

Burrage died on March 15, 2013, the day before his 83th birthday. The local newspaper, The Neshoba Democrat, did not mention his Freedom Summer Murders involvement in Burrage's obituary.

• Samuel Bowers
• Edgar Ray Killen
• Cecil Price
• Lawrence A. Rainey
• Alton Wayne Roberts
• Jimmy Snowden
• Herman Tucker
• Civil Rights Movement
• United States v. Price

• Olen Lavelle Burrage's Find a Grave Webpage