“John Brown Farm: From Abolitionist Vision to Memorial Site” Published by PMP
Purple Mountain Press is proud to announce the publication of John Brown Farm: From Abolitionist Vision to Memorial Site, the first and only book to focus on the significance of the John Brown Farm State Historic Site, where John’s body “lies a’mouldering in the grave.” People from around the world make pilgrimages to the landmark farm near Lake Placid in North Elba, New York, where the Brown family lived from 1855 to 1863. Visitors soon discover that this is also where “His Soul Goes Marching On.” This is the fascinating chronicle of how each generation has remembered, monumented, and reinterpreted the abolitionist who led the fateful raid at Harpers Ferry.
Author Sandra Weber explores the history and meaning of the three graves, the farmhouse, the memorial tablets, the John Brown Statue, and the beautiful scenery at the site. She also delves into the issues of racial prejudice, the Lost Cause myth, forest preservation, historical preservation, land stewardship, and truth-telling.
John Brown Farm is fully illustrated and includes a foreword by Alice Keesey Mecoy, the great-great-great granddaughter of John and Mary Brown.
About the Author
Sandra Weber has written several books about the Adirondacks, including: The Lure of Esther Mountain: Matriarch of the Adirondack High Peaks; The Finest Square Mile: Mount Jo and Heart Lake; and Mount Marcy: The High Peak of New York. Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks, co-written with Peggy Lynn, was republished by Purple Mountain Press in 2025.
An expert on John Brown, Weber is also the author of John Brown in New York: The Man, His Family, and the Adirondack Landscape (2025). For more information, visit sandraweber.com and johnbrownny.com.
Praise for John Brown Farm
“John Brown Farm is a magnificent contribution to the history of the Adirondacks as well as the story of America. With exceptional clarity and rigor, Weber traces the story of this iconic place as it evolved from a hotbed of social justice into a globally revered ‘site of conscience.’ The writing is superbly engaging, the illustrations are abundant and informative, and the story resonates powerfully with modern times.” –Curt Stager, Professor of Natural Sciences at Paul Smith’s College and co-author of The First Adirondackers
“In the quiet wilderness of the Adirondacks, a rocky farm in North Elba became the staging ground for one of the most controversial and outrageous or courageous figures in American history…. Through careful research and compelling storytelling, Weber documents how the farm transformed from a working homestead into a memorial landscape—shaped by pilgrimages, monuments, commemorations, and the enduring belief that one person’s moral courage can alter a nation’s course.” –Jackie Madison, Director of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association
Author Sandra Weber explores the history and meaning of the three graves, the farmhouse, the memorial tablets, the John Brown Statue, and the beautiful scenery at the site. She also delves into the issues of racial prejudice, the Lost Cause myth, forest preservation, historical preservation, land stewardship, and truth-telling.