The history of John Brown goes all the way back to the beginning of the
town of North Elba which was known as Timbucto. Brown was very concerned
about the black and how he could help them. In 1849 he heard of a man named
Gerrit Smith who was giving away land grants to free blacks. The purpose
of these land grants were to help the black have more property and gain
the ability to vote. After talking to Smith, Brown was given a large section
of land in the center of the town. Brown wanted to be located in the middle
of the town so that he could help the town become successful.
This is a present day picture of John Brown's farm located
in Lake Placid
Just one year after Brown bought the farm he moved his family from Massachusetts to the center of Timbucto. He spent many years in the town until he was drawn back into the troubles of slavery which his sons were greatly involved. Brown set up a small farm near Harpers Ferry under a false name so that he would not be found. He was planning an attack at Harpers Ferry to seize the arsenal, and a number of prominent citizens. However after an overwhelming defeat by the federal marines he was captured and executed on December 2, 1859
The end of Timbucto came before the death of John Brown. When the fugitive
slave act of 1850 came into effect it ruined Timbucto. The act said that
any free black man can be reported and sent south to become a slave. this
scared off most off the blacks. They moved to Canada where they could remain
free.
