Who We Are

Some History

In 1849, John Brown moved his family to North Elba, N.Y., a post from where he’d work to help free Black New Yorkers build new lives in the rocky Adirondack soil. Ten years later, he led his audacious raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia., seeking only to “free Slaves.” The raid failed. He was caught, tried and found guilty of treason, murder and conspiracy. 

In his last speech before the court, he said: “Now if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice and MINGLE MY BLOOD FURTHER WITH THE BLOOD OF MY CHILDREN, and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments—I submit; so LET IT BE DONE.”

Brown was executed by the State of Virginia on December 2, 1859. As per his wishes, his body was brought back home for burial at the family farm in the Adirondacks.

John Brown Lives! Is Born

In 1999, 140 years later, John Brown Lives! was born. Our mission is to not just to honor John Brown’s forceful voice in bringing an end to slavery, but to take his lead and follow in his footsteps, promoting social justice and human rights through reflection and activism, awareness and exploration, kinship and individual action.

While many of our programs are rooted in Adirondack history, all of them draw on a spirit of community engagement and conversation as we bring together artists, educators, scholars, teachers and writers to find ways to broaden justice and equity for all, everywhere.

We sponsor surprising collaborations, groundbreaking research, community dialogue, and cultural initiatives that upend conventional narratives, provide portals for oft-avoided conversations, and facilitate examination of our history and for its useful legacies in the present. 

We are the official NYS Friends Group of the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid, NY, dedicated to the preservation, interpretation and promotion of this site of conscience and human rights destination. In May of 2021, John Brown Lives! was welcomed as a Network to Freedom partner through the National Park Service.