PhotosLocation


John_Brown_Farm,_Tannery_&_Museum Latitude and Longitude:

41°43′8.5″N 79°57′3″W / 41.719028°N 79.95083°W / 41.719028; -79.95083
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Brown Tannery Site
John Brown's Tannery in 1885
John Brown Farm, Tannery & Museum is located in Pennsylvania
John Brown Farm, Tannery & Museum
John Brown Farm, Tannery & Museum is located in the United States
John Brown Farm, Tannery & Museum
Location500 feet south of the junction of Pennsylvania Route 77 and John Brown Road [17620 John Brown Rd.], Richmond Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 41°43′8.5″N 79°57′3″W / 41.719028°N 79.95083°W / 41.719028; -79.95083
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1825
Built byBrown, John
NRHP reference  No. 78002383 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 14, 1978

John Brown Farm, Tannery & Museum, 17620 John Brown Rd., Guys Mills, PA 16327, is a historic archaeological site located in Richmond Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The tannery was built in 1825 by famed abolitionist John Brown (1800–1859), who lived on the site from 1825 to 1835. The tannery was about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from the new Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal. [2]

The tannery was a major stop on the Underground Railway; Brown helped some 2,500 slaves [3] during this period. The site includes the ruins of the tannery, a one-story, rectangular structure measuring 55 by 22 feet (16.8 by 6.7 m). There was a hidden, well-ventilated room in the barn for the fugitive slaves. [4]: 4–5 

In 1874, in "a wonderful state of preservation", it was converted into a cheese factory, and in 1884 it was turned into a steam grist-mill. "The structure is a relic of great historic interest, and is visited by thousands of curiosity and relic seekers, The windows and doors have all been chipped away. The Brown family have visited their old home several times within the past few years." [5]

Foundation of John Brown's Tannery, photographed in 2014

A fire destroyed the building in 1907. [6] On John Brown's birthday, May 9, the site hosts a community celebration, "Spirit of Freedom". [7]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. [1]

The graves of Brown's first wife Dianthe, their four-year-old son Frederick (another son was named Frederick later), and an unnamed newborn son are nearby. [4]: 8  [8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Lockley, Fred (June 30, 1914). "In earlier days". Oregon Daily Journal ( Portland, Oregon). p. 8 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "John Brown's Tannery Historical Marker". explorepahistory.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Miller, Ernest C. (1952). John Brown Pennsylvania Citizen. The story of John Brown's ten years in northwestern Pennsylvania. (This is an updated version of an article, "John Brown's Ten Years in Northwestern Pennsylvania", published in Pennsylvania History, vol. 15, 1948, pp. 24–33, https://www.jstor.org/stable/27766856). Warren, Pennsylvania: The Penn State Press. {{ cite book}}: External link in |others= ( help)
  5. ^ "(Untitled)". Leavenworth Weekly Journal ( Leavenworth, Kansas). March 16, 1884. p. 2 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on July 21, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2012. Note: This includes John C. Shields (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: John Brown Tannery Site" (PDF). Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  7. ^ "John Brown Farm, Tannery & Museum". Visit Pennsylvania. 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Villard, Oswald Garrison (1921) [1920]. John Brown, 1800-1859; a biography fifty years after. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 24.

External links