John Brown Grave - North Elba, NY - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

In Lake Placid, at the John Brown Farm State Historical Site, is the grave of John Brown, well known abolitionist, several family members, and twelve of his followers.

The site is located off the the intersection with New York Route 73 and Old Military Road. The access road goes south and continues to the end at a cul-de-sac. There is a small, wood house a short distance from the end of the road, and the fenced in grave site is nearby.

The actual marker is one surrounded by glass (probably plexiglass). The marker has several names on it. The original name was Capt. John Brown, who died in 1776. The one below is the son and the subject of this WM, John Brown. The inscription for him is as follows:

"John Brown
Born May 3, 1800
was Executed at Charle
ton, Va Dec. 2, 1859"

Other names are on the back.

There are numerous sources about this man. One that I liked was on findagrave.com for this grave, which was attributed to Wikipedia. Here, I'll distill it a little further.

Some consider him to be the most controversial figure in the 19th century. He became deeply committed to the abolitionist movement. He became tired of the pacifist activities at the time and felt that action - even violence was needed. Once, he was in the territory of Kansas. In May 1856, he and a small group killed five southern pro-slavery men in what became known as the Pottawatomie Massacre. Later, in then, Virginia, John Brown, two of his sons, and others raided the armory at Harpers Ferry. He managed to break in, but had to retreat into the fire house on the property. He was finally captured after a fight cost seven lives, put to trial, found guilty, and then hung. His actions polarized thoughts and likely hastened the start of the U.S. Civil War.

Now, how many people have a song written about his/her grave. John Brown does! "John Brown's Body" or "John Brown's Song," was based on the tune of a song and quickly spread. Julia Ward Howe wrote new lyrics to the tune which was titled, "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Other Sources:

Ancestry.com (John Brown):
(visit link)

Wikipedia (John Brown Farm State Historic Site):
(visit link)

(John Brown's Body):
(visit link)

Lake Placid Commerce Site:
(visit link)

Description: John Brown is the well-known abolitionist who was involved in the conflicts in the territory of Kansas and led a small band on an attempted raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virgia, which led to the death of two of his sons buried here and his hanging. These actions may have set into motion the eventual start of the U.S. Civil War. Date of birth: 05/09/1800 Date of death: 12/02/1859 Area of notoriety: Historical Figure Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily roughly 10am - 5pm Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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