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: 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: Postcard depicting John Brown being arraigned before Judge Richard Parker in 1859. Brown was famously arrested for his unsuccessful raid on the armory in Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1859. He was found guilty of treason and was hung for his crime. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04102
Subjects: Abolitionists -- Ohio; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History;
Places: Charleston (West Virginia)
 

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
 

Description: Illustration of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), following the Civil War, from "Life of Abraham Lincoln" by Clifton M. Nichols, 1896. Harper's Ferry is located at the intersection of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. The most noted event in the town's long history was on October 16, 1859, when abolitionist John Brown and a small group of followers tried unsuccessfully to capture the federal arsenal. In less than two days, most of Brown's followers were killed or wounded. He was caught, tried for treason and sentenced to death. Due to the town's strategic location, it was occupied by both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War and a great deal of the town's infrastructure was damaged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04247
Subjects: United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History
Places: Harper's Ferry (Virginia)
 

Description: John Brown (1800-1859) was an ardent proponent of abolition. He aided many fugitive slaves to freedom along the Lane Trail while he lived in Kansas. This photograph was taken in September 1856. The image was collected by Ohio State University professor Wilbur H. Siebert (1866-1961). Siebert began researching the Underground Railroad in the 1890s as a way to interest his students in history. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03037
Subjects: Underground Railroad -- Kansas; Abolition movement--1850-1860; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio
Places: Bourbon County (Kansas)
 

Description: Photographic view of Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), from the railroad, with a contraband camp in the foreground. Harper's Ferry is located at the intersection of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. The most noted event in the town's long history was on October 16, 1859, when abolitionist John Brown and a small group of followers tried unsuccessfully to capture the federal arsenal. In less than two days, most of Brown's followers were killed or wounded. He was caught, tried for treason and sentenced to death. Due to the town's strategic location, it was occupied by both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War and a great deal of the town's infrastructure was damaged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04248
Subjects: United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Other--Non Ohio; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History;
Places: Harper's Ferry (Virginia)
 

Description: Broadside for the funeral of Edwin Coppock held in Salem, Ohio, on December 30, 1859. Coppock was executed in Charleston, Virginia, for being a member of John Brown's Raiders at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The names of 24 men are listed under the funeral announcement, presumably his fellow raiders. 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: AL04685
Subjects: Columbiana County (Ohio); Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Funeral rites and ceremonies; Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio
Places: Salem (Ohio); Columbiana County (Ohio)
 

Description: Stereograph view of Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (once Virginia), captioned "From the Chesapeake to the Ohio, B. & O. R.R. Scenery." Harper's Ferry is located at the intersection of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. The most noted event in the town's long history was on October 16, 1859, when abolitionist John Brown and a small group of followers tried unsuccessfully to capture the federal arsenal. In less than two days most of Brown's followers were killed or wounded. He was caught, tried for treason and sentenced to death. Due to the town's strategic location, it was occupied by both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War and a great deal of the town's infrastructure was damaged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC5118_001
Subjects: Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Railroads;
Places: Harper's Ferry (Virginia);
 

Description: Stereograph view of a bridge at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (once Virginia). Harper's Ferry is located at the intersection of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. The most noted event in the town's long history was on October 16, 1859, when abolitionist John Brown and a small group of followers tried unsuccessfully to capture the federal arsenal. In less than two days most of Brown's followers were killed or wounded. He was caught, tried for treason and sentenced to death. Due to the town's strategic location, it was occupied by both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War and a great deal of the town's infrastructure was damaged. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC5118_002
Subjects: Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) History; John Brown's Raid, 1859; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Rivers; Bridges;
Places: Harper's Ferry (Virginia);
 

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: 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);