John Brown Farm, Tannery & Museum 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]
John Brown Tannery Site | |
 John Brown's Tannery in 1885 | |
   | |
| Location | 500 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 |
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1825 |
| Built by | Brown, John |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002383[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 14, 1978 |
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][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."[6]
A fire destroyed the building in 1907.[7] On John Brown's birthday, May 9, the site hosts a community celebration, "Spirit of Freedom".[8]
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][9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Lockley, Fred (June 30, 1914). "In earlier days". Oregon Daily Journal (Portland, Oregon). p. 8 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "John Brown's Tannery Historical Marker". explorepahistory.com. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Miller, Ernest C. (1952). John Brown Pennsylvania Citizen. The story of John Brown's ten years in northwestern Pennsylvania. Warren, Pennsylvania: The Penn State Press. pp. 4–5, 8.
- ^ Miller, Ernest C. (1948). "John Brown's Ten Years in Northwestern Pennsylvania". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 15 (1): 24–33. ISSN 0031-4528.
- ^ "(Untitled)". Leavenworth Weekly Journal (Leavenworth, Kansas). March 16, 1884. p. 2 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "John Brown Farm, Tannery & Museum". Visit Pennsylvania. 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ Villard, Oswald Garrison (1921) [1920]. John Brown, 1800–1859; a biography fifty years after. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 24.
External links
edit- John Brown Farm, Tannery & Museum – Old Pennsylvania Tourism listing
- Photo through West Virginia State Archives
