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John Brown SHS

North Country ‘Colors of Freedom Tour’ to Celebrate Juneteenth

June 14, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

colors-of-freedom-banner-2022Clinton and Essex counties were a center of the roiling abolition controversies before the Civil War, helping many freedom-seekers fleeing enslavement follow the Lake Champlain corridor to Canada in the 1830s, 1840s and 1850s.

A first-ever North Country Juneteenth celebration of the region’s role in the fight against slavery will highlight Underground Railroad work in the area, as well as prominent anti-slavery Quakers and abolitionist John Brown. [Read more…] about North Country ‘Colors of Freedom Tour’ to Celebrate Juneteenth

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Events, History Tagged With: Adirondack HIstory Museum, John Brown Lives, John Brown SHS, Juneteenth

NY’s Voter Suppression History & John Brown’s Farm

July 15, 2021 by Peter Slocum Leave a Comment

John Brown Farm courtesy John Brown LivesThis year we are celebrating New York State’s acquisition of John Brown Farm 125 years ago. And it’s good that we are.

But let us also recall a 200th anniversary linked to the John Brown Farm – a connection that has particular importance this year as we witness a voter suppression spree around our country. Two hundred years ago, that was us – our New York ancestors – enacting explicit rules to keep blacks from voting.

John Brown and his family moved to the Adirondacks as part of an effort to counteract New York State-sponsored suppression of voting rights for black men.

We are now seeing a wave of voter suppression efforts in states controlled by Republican legislators fearful of losing their majority power. Well, guess what? That’s exactly what was going on here in good old New York back in the early 1800s. We New Yorkers apparently were leaders in voter suppression. We even put it into the state constitution! That’s more than the states are doing today. [Read more…] about NY’s Voter Suppression History & John Brown’s Farm

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Adirondacks, Black History, Essex County, Gerrit Smith Estate, John Brown, John Brown SHS, Lake Placid, North Elba, Political History, Timbuctoo, Voting Rights

John Brown Lives! Marking 125 Years of John Brown Farm Historic Site

July 15, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

John Brown Lives 125th Anniversary CommemorationJohn Brown Lives! will commemorate the 125th anniversary of the State of New York acquisition of the John Brown Farm State Historic Site, home of abolitionists John and Mary Brown on the condition that it be used “as a public park or reservation forever,” on Saturday, July 17th. [Read more…] about John Brown Lives! Marking 125 Years of John Brown Farm Historic Site

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Events, History Tagged With: John Brown Lives, John Brown SHS

Timbuctoo: An Adirondack African American Settlement

July 2, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

a new york minute in history podcastIn this episode of the A New York Minute In History podcast, the history of Timbuctoo, an African American settlement founded by philanthropist Gerrit Smith in response to an 1846 law requiring all black men to own $250 worth of property in order to vote in New York State.

To counter this racist policy, Smith decided to give away 120,000 acres of land to 3,000 free, black New Yorkers, hoping to enable them to move out of cities and work the land to its required value. Lyman Epps and other black pioneers relocated to the wilderness near Lake Placid, New York — as did abolitionist John Brown, who based his family in North Elba to assist the black pioneers in their farming. [Read more…] about Timbuctoo: An Adirondack African American Settlement

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Adirondacks, Black History, John Brown, John Brown SHS, Lake Placid, North Elba, Podcasts, Political History, Timbuctoo

John Brown Farm Celebrates 125 Years of State Ownership

May 4, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

John Brown Farm courtesy John Brown LivesIn 2021, the state of New York will celebrate 125 years of being caretaker to the John Brown Farm in North Elba, just outside of Lake Placid in the Adirondack Park.

Brown came to the area to help recently freed slaves become farmers. At that time in New York State, black men (and only black men) needed to own $250 dollars worth of land to be eligible to vote. Brown immersed himself in this new community of black farmers and participated in a wide variety of organizing. [Read more…] about John Brown Farm Celebrates 125 Years of State Ownership

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Abolition, Black History, Historic Preservation, John Brown, John Brown Lives, John Brown SHS, Lake Placid, North Elba, OPRHP

A Trip to John Brown’s Farm Near Lake Placid

February 23, 2021 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

John Brown statueA few weeks ago, on a snowy and cold Sunday, I decided to take a trip to a place in North Elba that I have been meaning to visit since I first moved to Lake Placid – John Brown Farm, the last home of the nineteenth century abolitionist. [Read more…] about A Trip to John Brown’s Farm Near Lake Placid

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: John Brown, John Brown SHS, Lake Placid, Lake Placid Land Conservancy

Pilgrimages Part of John Brown’s Farm History

May 23, 2019 by David Fiske 1 Comment

Barber in November 1912Memorial Day weekend is approaching, and along with the “unofficial start of summer,” the Adirondacks will experience its annual influx of vacationers. But in years past, visitors arrived in May for another purpose: a pilgrimage to the John Brown farm in North Elba, New York. At the farm, a wreath would be laid upon the abolitionist’s grave, and the song “John Brown’s Body” was sung. [Read more…] about Pilgrimages Part of John Brown’s Farm History

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Black History, John Brown, John Brown SHS

John Brown Day At His Lake Placid Home Saturday

May 3, 2019 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

john brown dayJohn Brown Lives! has announced “John Brown Day: A Day of Reflection. A Day of Action.” is set for May 4th, 2019 from 2 to 4 pm, at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site.

John Brown Day is a commemoration honoring women and men whose work invokes the passion and conviction of the 19th-century abolitionist who dedicated his life to the cause of liberation. [Read more…] about John Brown Day At His Lake Placid Home Saturday

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Events, History Tagged With: John Brown, John Brown Lives, John Brown SHS, Lake Placid

John Brown Day Saturday in Lake PLacid

May 4, 2017 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

john brown livesAaron Mair, president of the Sierra Club; immigrant-rights organization Migrant Justice; and Don and Vivian Papson, founders of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association, will receive Spirit of John Brown Freedom Awards at the John Brown Day celebration on Saturday, May 6, at 2 pm.

The annual event, which is organized by North Country-based human rights and freedom education project John Brown Lives!, will be held at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid. The public is welcome. [Read more…] about John Brown Day Saturday in Lake PLacid

Filed Under: Events, History Tagged With: Abolition, Adirondacks, John Brown, John Brown Lives, John Brown SHS

John Brown Day Being Celebrated May 9th

April 30, 2015 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

John Brown DayA biographer who has written extensively about John Brown, a civil rights activist who marched in Selma and a memorial honoring a youth leader who introduced countless city youth to the Adirondacks will highlight John Brown Day 2015.

The annual event will be held Saturday, May 9, from 2 to 4 pm at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid. It is free and open to the public. [Read more…] about John Brown Day Being Celebrated May 9th

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Abolition, Adirondacks, Black History, John Brown, John Brown Lives, John Brown SHS, Slavery

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