A look at famed abolitionist John Brown’s decade in Crawford County
By JOSH COTTON
jcotton@timesobsever.com
From 1825 until 1835, John Brown was a resident of northwestern Pennsylvania.
Crawford County marked one in a series of ultimately unsuccessful ventures that turned Brown into a frequent traveler.
It’s clear though that one thing that did remain with him regardless of where he went were his ardent anti-slavery views.
His home and barn located about 15 miles outside of Meadville no longer stand. But a portion of the tannery he built does and what’s left has been preserved as a Brown’s Early Years National Register of Historic Places site.
A local Warren County historian, Ernest Miller who wrote heavily back in the 60s, actually published a piece in a Penn State journal on Brown’s time in Crawford County.
“He moved to four hundred acres of land he had purchased in Crawford County, twelve miles east of Meadville and along the state road,” Miller concluded. “On tract 1432 he had secured this uncleared land at an attractive price; the low price resulted because Randolph Township land had been set apart by the state in payment to her Revolutionary soldiers for their services, but no veteran selected this for home or wanted the land.”
Built in 1825, the foundation walls of the tannery – 55 feet by 22 feet, nine feet high and two feet thick – are all that remain. (The wooden portions of the tannery burned in 1907).
“John Brown journeyed to the Randolph portion of Crawford County in 1825, and he built the tannery, whose foundation still stands,” according to the nomination form completed that resulted in the site’s historic place designation. “From the time that Brown left Crawford County in 1835, and until 1907, the tannery building changed ownerships many times, and the building served numerous purposes, including continued use as a tannery, a cheese factory, a jelly factory, a grist mill and a residence. A fire destroyed the building in 1907….”
That document lists both the path that brought Brown to this corner of the state as well as his involvement while he was here.
In May 1825, Brown came from Hudson, Ohio and was heavily involved from the outset on the initial construction of the road from Meadville to the New York State line (presumably Rt. 77).
“There are numerous other reports of John Brown’s dedication and leadership as a pioneer and settler,” the form states. “It is undocumented legend that John Brown, while in Crawford County, was a community activity, consistently a link in the Underground Railroad, a church leader, a layman minister, choirmaster, organizer of schools, and a breeder of pure bred livestock.”
His tannery at times employed as many as 15 people and he was also the first postmaster for what became the Randolph post office, vacating the office when he left in 1835.
Wayside markers at the site indicate that Brown’s first wife died while he lived in Randolph.
Those markers detail that Brown was born in 1800 and moved from Connecticut to Ohio in 1805.
“His father, Owen, taught Brown that slavery was sinful and should be absolished,” that marker states. “Although a lifelong abolitionist, Brown spent most of his adult years seeking to prosper at various business and farming ventures. His moneymaking quests had moments of success but in the end left him debt-ridden and often uprooted his family. He struggled to support his 20 children, nine of whom died at tender ages.”
The barn had a secret room for hiding runaway slaves and one source indicated he may have housed hundreds in his decade living there.
Miller’s article gives us a flavor of life at the tannery.
“While John Brown was not, by his own account, a man of much formal education, his letters, communications, and ability as a public speaker, attest that he was keen of mind and quick to learn. His education was based largely on his own experiences and his retentive memory,” Miller wrote. “While it is difficult to determine which faith Brown embraced at various periods during his life, it has been universally agreed that few men have seemed more deeply religious than the energetic tanner.
His family held devotional services every morning right after breakfast; each person had a Bible and each read verses as directed by Brown who served as the leader.
Next, Brown led in a prayer and then the group was dismissed, the children to go to school and the others to go about their work.”
Miller also noted Brown’s “acts of kindness to families in dire need or trouble in his immediate neighborhood” as having been remembered with “the highest praise.”
He said Brown returned to the area several times after he moved away but only for short visits. He added Brown’s last experience in Pennsylvania was planning the Harpers Ferry raid while at Chambersburg.
The site has, obviously been preserved and Miller’s article tells how that came to be.
“About 1920, the tannery site was purchased by Frank Allsben of New York City, and Frank A. Loveland, Guy D. Heath, and Joseph Desmond, all of Corry, Pa. A year or so later it was presented by this group to the John Brown Memorial Association, a Crawford County organization. Under the auspices of this association, picnics and annual gatherings were held at the site.”
Next week, we’ll look at Warren County newspaper news reports of Brown’s Harpers Ferry raid and, if the sources line up, a former Warren County sheriff who once worked with Brown.
By JOSH COTTON
jcotton@timesobsever.com
From 1825 until 1835, John Brown was a resident of northwestern Pennsylvania.
Crawford County marked one in a series of ultimately unsuccessful ventures that turned Brown into a frequent traveler.
It’s clear though that one thing that did remain with him regardless of where he went were his ardent anti-slavery views.
His home and barn located about 15 miles outside of Meadville no longer stand. But a portion of the tannery he built does and what’s left has been preserved as a Brown’s Early Years National Register of Historic Places site.
A local Warren County historian, Ernest Miller who wrote heavily back in the 60s, actually published a piece in a Penn State journal on Brown’s time in Crawford County.
“He moved to four hundred acres of land he had purchased in Crawford County, twelve miles east of Meadville and along the state road,” Miller concluded. “On tract 1432 he had secured this uncleared land at an attractive price; the low price resulted because Randolph Township land had been set apart by the state in payment to her Revolutionary soldiers for their services, but no veteran selected this for home or wanted the land.”
Built in 1825, the foundation walls of the tannery - 55 feet by 22 feet, nine feet high and two feet thick - are all that remain. (The wooden portions of the tannery burned in 1907).
“John Brown journeyed to the Randolph portion of Crawford County in 1825, and he built the tannery, whose foundation still stands,” according to the nomination form completed that resulted in the site’s historic place designation. “From the time that Brown left Crawford County in 1835, and until 1907, the tannery building changed ownerships many times, and the building served numerous purposes, including continued use as a tannery, a cheese factory, a jelly factory, a grist mill and a residence. A fire destroyed the building in 1907....”
That document lists both the path that brought Brown to this corner of the state as well as his involvement while he was here.
In May 1825, Brown came from Hudson, Ohio and was heavily involved from the outset on the initial construction of the road from Meadville to the New York State line (presumably Rt. 77).
“There are numerous other reports of John Brown’s dedication and leadership as a pioneer and settler,” the form states. “It is undocumented legend that John Brown, while in Crawford County, was a community activity, consistently a link in the Underground Railroad, a church leader, a layman minister, choirmaster, organizer of schools, and a breeder of pure bred livestock.”
His tannery at times employed as many as 15 people and he was also the first postmaster for what became the Randolph post office, vacating the office when he left in 1835.
Wayside markers at the site indicate that Brown’s first wife died while he lived in Randolph.
Those markers detail that Brown was born in 1800 and moved from Connecticut to Ohio in 1805.
“His father, Owen, taught Brown that slavery was sinful and should be absolished,” that marker states. “Although a lifelong abolitionist, Brown spent most of his adult years seeking to prosper at various business and farming ventures. His moneymaking quests had moments of success but in the end left him debt-ridden and often uprooted his family. He struggled to support his 20 children, nine of whom died at tender ages.”
The barn had a secret room for hiding runaway slaves and one source indicated he may have housed hundreds in his decade living there.
Miller’s article gives us a flavor of life at the tannery.
“While John Brown was not, by his own account, a man of much formal education, his letters, communications, and ability as a public speaker, attest that he was keen of mind and quick to learn. His education was based largely on his own experiences and his retentive memory,” Miller wrote. “While it is difficult to determine which faith Brown embraced at various periods during his life, it has been universally agreed that few men have seemed more deeply religious than the energetic tanner.
His family held devotional services every morning right after breakfast; each person had a Bible and each read verses as directed by Brown who served as the leader.
Next, Brown led in a prayer and then the group was dismissed, the children to go to school and the others to go about their work.”
Miller also noted Brown’s “acts of kindness to families in dire need or trouble in his immediate neighborhood” as having been remembered with “the highest praise.”
He said Brown returned to the area several times after he moved away but only for short visits. He added Brown’s last experience in Pennsylvania was planning the Harpers Ferry raid while at Chambersburg.
The site has, obviously been preserved and Miller’s article tells how that came to be.
“About 1920, the tannery site was purchased by Frank Allsben of New York City, and Frank A. Loveland, Guy D. Heath, and Joseph Desmond, all of Corry, Pa. A year or so later it was presented by this group to the John Brown Memorial Association, a Crawford County organization. Under the auspices of this association, picnics and annual gatherings were held at the site.”
Next week, we’ll look at Warren County newspaper news reports of Brown’s Harpers Ferry raid and, if the sources line up, a former Warren County sheriff who once worked with Brown.
From 1825 until 1835, John Brown was a resident of northwestern Pennsylvania.
Crawford County marked one in a series of ultimately unsuccessful ventures that turned Brown into a frequent traveler.
It’s clear though that one thing that did remain with him regardless of where he went were his ardent anti-slavery views.
His home and barn located about 15 miles outside of Meadville no longer stand. But a portion of the tannery he built does and what’s left has been preserved as a Brown’s Early Years National Register of Historic Places site.
A local Warren County historian, Ernest Miller who wrote heavily back in the 60s, actually published a piece in a Penn State journal on Brown’s time in Crawford County.
“He moved to four hundred acres of land he had purchased in Crawford County, twelve miles east of Meadville and along the state road,” Miller concluded. “On tract 1432 he had secured this uncleared land at an attractive price; the low price resulted because Randolph Township land had been set apart by the state in payment to her Revolutionary soldiers for their services, but no veteran selected this for home or wanted the land.”
Built in 1825, the foundation walls of the tannery – 55 feet by 22 feet, nine feet high and two feet thick – are all that remain. (The wooden portions of the tannery burned in 1907).
“John Brown journeyed to the Randolph portion of Crawford County in 1825, and he built the tannery, whose foundation still stands,” according to the nomination form completed that resulted in the site’s historic place designation. “From the time that Brown left Crawford County in 1835, and until 1907, the tannery building changed ownerships many times, and the building served numerous purposes, including continued use as a tannery, a cheese factory, a jelly factory, a grist mill and a residence. A fire destroyed the building in 1907….”
That document lists both the path that brought Brown to this corner of the state as well as his involvement while he was here.
In May 1825, Brown came from Hudson, Ohio and was heavily involved from the outset on the initial construction of the road from Meadville to the New York State line (presumably Rt. 77).
“There are numerous other reports of John Brown’s dedication and leadership as a pioneer and settler,” the form states. “It is undocumented legend that John Brown, while in Crawford County, was a community activity, consistently a link in the Underground Railroad, a church leader, a layman minister, choirmaster, organizer of schools, and a breeder of pure bred livestock.”
His tannery at times employed as many as 15 people and he was also the first postmaster for what became the Randolph post office, vacating the office when he left in 1835.
Wayside markers at the site indicate that Brown’s first wife died while he lived in Randolph.
Those markers detail that Brown was born in 1800 and moved from Connecticut to Ohio in 1805.
“His father, Owen, taught Brown that slavery was sinful and should be absolished,” that marker states. “Although a lifelong abolitionist, Brown spent most of his adult years seeking to prosper at various business and farming ventures. His moneymaking quests had moments of success but in the end left him debt-ridden and often uprooted his family. He struggled to support his 20 children, nine of whom died at tender ages.”
The barn had a secret room for hiding runaway slaves and one source indicated he may have housed hundreds in his decade living there.
Miller’s article gives us a flavor of life at the tannery.
“While John Brown was not, by his own account, a man of much formal education, his letters, communications, and ability as a public speaker, attest that he was keen of mind and quick to learn. His education was based largely on his own experiences and his retentive memory,” Miller wrote. “While it is difficult to determine which faith Brown embraced at various periods during his life, it has been universally agreed that few men have seemed more deeply religious than the energetic tanner.
His family held devotional services every morning right after breakfast; each person had a Bible and each read verses as directed by Brown who served as the leader.
Next, Brown led in a prayer and then the group was dismissed, the children to go to school and the others to go about their work.”
Miller also noted Brown’s “acts of kindness to families in dire need or trouble in his immediate neighborhood” as having been remembered with “the highest praise.”
He said Brown returned to the area several times after he moved away but only for short visits. He added Brown’s last experience in Pennsylvania was planning the Harpers Ferry raid while at Chambersburg.
The site has, obviously been preserved and Miller’s article tells how that came to be.
“About 1920, the tannery site was purchased by Frank Allsben of New York City, and Frank A. Loveland, Guy D. Heath, and Joseph Desmond, all of Corry, Pa. A year or so later it was presented by this group to the John Brown Memorial Association, a Crawford County organization. Under the auspices of this association, picnics and annual gatherings were held at the site.”
Next week, we’ll look at Warren County newspaper news reports of Brown’s Harpers Ferry raid and, if the sources line up, a former Warren County sheriff who once worked with Brown.