Description: Memorial to Edwin Coppock, who was executed in Charleston, Virginia, in 1859 for being a member of John Brown's Raiders at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The memorial is in Salem, Columbiana County, Ohio. This photograph was taken ca. 1940-1949. John Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 2, 1859, Brown was hanged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00326
Subjects: Memorials -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio
Places: Salem (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: This lock of hair enclosed in a frame measuring 5.7" by 7.8" (14.6 by 19.8 cm) is from Edwin Coppoc of Salem, Ohio. Also enclosed in the frame is a statement that appears to have been printed by the Ohio Historical Society indicating that the hair was donated by a cousin of Coppoc's in 1921. Coppoc joined a small group of abolitionists led by John Brown on October 16, 1859. They seized the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in hopes of inspiring and arming a slave insurrection. Both Brown and Coppoc were captured, tried, and convicted of treason. Coppoc was executed on December 16, 1859. John Brown, although born in Torrington, Connecticut, spent more than half his life in Ohio. Like many other "free soil" Ohioans, Brown went in the 1850s to the Kansas Territory, where he employed violence to prevent slavery from spreading. While his raid on Harper's Ferry was unsuccessful, his actions had important consequences. In the opinion of antislavery activist Frederick Douglass, "John Brown began the war that ended American slavery and made this a free Republic. His zeal in the cause of my race was far greater than mine. I could live for the slave, but he could die for him." Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1488_1535225_001
Subjects: Daily Life; Civil Liberties; Abolitionists; Hair; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History John Brown's Raid, 1859
Places: Salem (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879) was a dedicated supporter of abolition and women's rights. During the 1830s, a new type of radical abolitionist appeared calling for an immediate end to slavery. Garrison was one of the most prominent radical abolitionists in this time, and called for slavery's immediate end as well as equal rights for African Americans with whites. Because of his outspoken views in the decades leading up to the American Civil War, Garrison was the most well-known abolitionist in the United States. Many Southern slave owners despised him, and the Georgia legislature placed a five thousand dollar bounty on his head, payable to anyone who brought him to the state for prosecution. He received numerous death threats from white Southerners, and many Northerners also disagreed with his message. Mobs often attacked Garrison when he gave speeches. Despite the opposition that he faced, Garrison remained committed to fighting for an end to slavery. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04123
Subjects: Women's rights; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Abolitionists -- Ohio
 

Description: Portrait of abolitionist John Brown, ca. 1855-1859. Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 2, 1859, Brown was hanged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC2416_001
Subjects: Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights
Places: Ohio; Harper's Ferry (Virginia);
 

Description: Portrait of abolitionist John Brown, ca. 1855-1859. A handwritten note reads, "Presented to F.B. Sanborn, Esqr. of Concord, Mass, by his highly obligated and admiring Friend. Springfield, Mass, April 16th 1857. John Brown." Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found g View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC2416_002
Subjects: Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights
Places: Ohio; Harper's Ferry (Virginia);
 

Description: Two photographs showing the front and back of a commemorative John Brown medal, commissioned by Victor Hugo and several other French admirers of John Brown and sent to Brown's widow in 1874. The medal is approximately 5.2 x 0.4 cm, and features a relief portrait of Brown on one side with an inscription in French on the reverse. In English, the medal's front text reads "John Brown, born in Torrington, May 9, 1800." The reverse reads "To the memory of John Brown, legally assassinated at Charlestown, December 2, 1859, and to that of his sons and of his companions, who died victims of their devotion to the cause of liberty for blacks." Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 2, 1859, Brown was hanged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: sc223_11
Subjects: John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Commemorations;
Places: Harper's Ferry (Virginia);
 

Description: Photograph showing a large engraved stone marking the grave of abolitionist John Brown in North Elba, New York, 1945. The gravesite and its surrounding property were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1998. Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 2, 1859, Brown was hanged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: sc223_08
Subjects: John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Tombs & sepulchral monuments
Places: North Elba (New York)
 

Description: Proclamation warning that from November 28 until December 2, 1859, and particularly on December 2, the hanging date of John Brown, strangers who lack proper business in Jefferson County or surrounding counties in Virginia, will be arrested. It also warns citizens of the county to stay in their homes to protect their property, and forbids women and children from attending the execution. John Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A d View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: ovs2277_1
Subjects: Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio
Places: Harper's Ferry (Virginia); Jefferson County (Virginia)
 

Description: Photograph showing "John Brown's Fort" in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Originally built as a guardhouse and engine-house for the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, this building was used by John Brown and his raiders as a fortified defense during their failed attempt to capture the armory. Following the raid, it became known as John Brown's Fort, and the structure is now part of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry hoping to capture the armory buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 2, 1859, Brown was hanged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: sc223_04
Subjects: John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History;
Places: Harper's Ferry (Virginia);
 

Description: Photograph of a compass belonging to abolitionist John Brown. According to a caption on the back, the compass was left with his son just before Brown departed for Harper's Ferry. Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 2, 1859, Brown was hanged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: sc223_07
Subjects: John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights
Places: Ohio; Harper's Ferry (Virginia)
 

Description: Photographic postcard showing the gravesite of abolitionist John Brown in North Elba, New York, ca. 1905. The postcard is written from "GWB" to "Misses E + K Grand Girard" of Wilmington, Ohio, and is postmarked June 27, 1905. The gravesite and its surrounding property were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1998. Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: sc223_09
Subjects: John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights
Places: North Elba (New York)
 

Description: Photographic reproduction of a daguerreotype of abolitionist John Brown, ca. 1847. The original daguerreotype was made by African-American photographer Augustus Washington. At the time the daguerreotype was made John Brown was 42 years old and living in Massachusetts. John Brown gained national attention when, on October 16, 1859, he led a group of twenty one men on a raid of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). A federal arsenal was in the town, and Brown hoped to capture the buildings and the weapons stored inside. He then intended to distribute the guns and ammunition to slaves in the region, creating an army of African Americans that would march through the South and force slaveholders to release their slaves. Brown and his men succeeded in capturing the arsenal, but local residents surrounded the buildings, trapping the abolitionists inside. A detachment of U.S. Marines arrived and stormed the arsenal on October 18, capturing seven men, including Brown. He was charged with treason by the state of Virginia, found guilty and sentenced to death. On December 2, 1859, Brown was hanged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00523
Subjects: Abolitionists -- Ohio; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History John Brown's Raid, 1859;
Places: Massachusetts