John Brown Farm State Historic Site

See also: John Brown's body

John Brown Farm State Historic Site
John Brown's house
John Brown Farm State Historic Site is located in New York
John Brown Farm State Historic Site
John Brown Farm State Historic Site is located in the United States
John Brown Farm State Historic Site
Nearest cityLake Placid, New York
Coordinates44°15′07″N 73°58′17″W / 44.2520°N 73.9714°W / 44.2520; -73.9714
Area270 acres (110 ha)
Built1855
NRHP reference No.72000840
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 19, 1972[1]
Designated NHLAugust 6, 1998[2]

The John Brown Farm State Historic Site includes the home and final resting place of abolitionist John Brown (1800–1859). It is located on John Brown Road in the town of North Elba, 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Lake Placid, New York, where John Brown moved in 1849 to teach farming to African Americans. It has been called the highest farm in the state,[3][4] "the highest arable spot of land in the State, if, indeed, soil so hard and sterile can be called arable."[5]

According to a 1935 visitor, "the site which so captivated John Brown on his first visit and held his interest to the end of his life is one of the most impressive in the Adirondacks. The awe-inspiring mountains surrounding the spot look down on friendly valleys, lakes, hills, streams, homes, hamlets and villages. The panorama stresses the power, majesty and eternal verities embodied in the towering peaks; calls attention to the peace, grandeur and solitude of the region; and deepens the feeling of man's weakness, finiteness and transitory abode on mother earth."[6]: 329 [7]

A visiting reporter described the scenery as "absolutely the grandest in all the Adirondack region, being superior to that found at Mirror Lake and Lake Placid. ...A superb view."[4]

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1998.[2][8] It has been managed by the state since 1896; the grounds are open to the public on a year-round basis, and tours of the house are offered in the warmer months.

The weather was described at the time as "six months winter and the other six months was mighty cold weather".[9] A recent (2002) writer called it "one of the most inhospitable places in the eastern United States".[10]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "John Brown Farm and Gravesite". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 11, 2007. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011.
  3. ^ "The Burial of John Brown.—Incidents Along the Route of the Procession—Obsequies at North Elba—The Scene at the Grave—Oration of Rev. J. M. McKim—Interesting Letter from Edwin Coppi[c]—John Brown's Last Epistle to His Wife—Eulogy by Wendell Phillips, &c., &c". New York Daily Herald. December 12, 1859. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "John Brown's Grave. — In a Picturesque Spot in the Adirondacks. — Where Nature and Beauty Hold Full Sway—The Tombstone and Inscriptions—The John Brown Farm—The Old Man's Will—Miss Kate Field's Story". The Argus. Albany, New York. April 14, 1895. p. 15. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  5. ^ "The Burial of John Brown. The passage of the body to North Elba. The funeral. Speeches of Mr. McKim and Mr. Phillips". New-York Tribune. December 12, 1859. p. 6. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021 – via newspapers.com. (Most of this article was reprinted in The Liberator, December 16, 1859, p. 3 Archived April 12, 2021, at the Wayback Machine.)
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Flick was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ De Witt, Robert M. (1859). The life, trial and execution of Captain John Brown: known as "Old Brown of Ossawatomie," with a full account of the attempted insurrection at Harper's Ferry. Compiled from official and authentic sources. Including Cooke's Confession, and all the Incidents of the Execution. New York: The author. p. 9. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  8. ^ Gobrecht, Lawrence E. (November 21, 1997). "National Historic Landmark Nomination: John Brown Farm and Gravesite" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 9 photos, exterior, from 1996. (1.59 MB)
  9. ^ Hanson, Sam (March 26, 1953). "Threats, then friends for John Brown's people. A long journey brings widow Brown to rest in Saratoga". Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer (Los Gatos, California). p. 7. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Leslie, Naton (May–August 2002). "John Brown's Grave". The North American Review. 287 (3/4): 74–77. JSTOR 25126805.