We took a day trip to the John Brown Farm State Historical Site in North Elba, New York. Its not far from Lake Placid in fact you can see the ski jump towers from the farm 馃槅
This is the farm house. Here's some info on the park NY State Park site. And here are the basics on John Brown from wikipedia wikipedia John Brown
It was a beautiful sunny day with blue skies. My wife recently read a good book on John Brown - Cloud Splitter by Russell Banks. Her book club read it because of the ties to regional history.
This is his barn. I was interested because John Brown famously moved to Kansas and was involved in the battles of Bleeding Kansas before (some say precipitating) the Civil War.
A pond separating the barn from the farm house provided great reflections. I grew up in Kansas and have visited the house he lived in there in Osawatomie.
John Brown was an extremely controversial figure in his day. The pro-slavery South hated him and many in the anti-slavery movement were scared that he was too radical.
He believed action not more words were necessary. He went to Harper's Ferry to take over a Federal Armory and start a slave rebellion.
This frog was hanging out by the pond hoping to get his picture taken 馃槀 John Brown is now viewed by some as a hero who died for his convictions.
However his leadership in the brutal Pottawatomie Massacre wikipedia info in Kansas and ultimate hanging for treason leave his legacy contested.
This statue of John Brown befriending a young black boy stands near the entrance to the state park. John Brown spent much of his time in the Adirondacks helping black settlers that had been given land by Garritt Smith learn to clear the land and farm.
Hopefully not too much history. Do some research if you are interested. John Brown and this period of American history are fascinating.
