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John Brown Farm State Historic Site, Lake Placid

4.6
#6 of 63 in Things to do in Lake Placid
Historic Site · Tourist Spot
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The John Brown Farm State Historic Site includes the home and final resting place of abolitionist John Brown (1800–1859). It is located on John Brown Road in the town of North Elba, 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Lake Placid, New York, where John Brown moved in 1849 to teach farming to African Americans. It has been called the highest farm in the state, "the highest arable spot of land in the State, if, indeed, soil so hard and sterile can be called arable."
According to a 1935 visitor, "the site which so captivated John Brown on his first visit and held his interest to the end of his life is one of the most impressive in the Adirondacks. The awe-inspiring mountains surrounding the spot look down on friendly valleys, lakes, hills, streams, homes, hamlets and villages. The panorama stresses the power, majesty and eternal verities embodied in the towering peaks; calls attention to the peace, grandeur and solitude of the region; and deepens the feeling of man's weakness, finiteness and transitory abode on mother earth.": 329 
A visiting reporter described the scenery as "absolutely the grandest in all the Adirondack region, being superior to that found at Mirror Lake and Lake Placid. ...A superb view."
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1998. It has been managed by the state since 1896; the grounds are open to the public on a year-round basis, and tours of the house are offered in the warmer months.

The weather was described at the time as "six months winter and the other six months was mighty cold weather". A recent (2002) writer called it "one of the most inhospitable places in the eastern United States".
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John Brown Farm State Historic Site reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
275 reviews
Google
4.7
TripAdvisor
  • Perfect place to go snowshoeing during the off season. It is a national park. The house doesn’t open for tours until May but you can take a self guided tour using your smart phone on the outside. 
    Perfect place to go snowshoeing during the off season. It is a national park. The house doesn’t open for tours until May but you can take a self guided tour using your smart phone on the outside.  more »
  • Fascinating historical site with well documented information as well beautiful groomed and well marked hiking trails. 
    Fascinating historical site with well documented information as well beautiful groomed and well marked hiking trails.  more »
Google
  • While vacationing in the area, we decided to stop at the historical John Brown Farm. When you first pull up to the site, you notice the bronze statue of Brown with an African American boy. Memorial Field has many cards posted with various instances of injustice that have taken place over time to people and it just made me so said to read some of them. It made me stop and think that at any time, no matter the situation, that that could have been me. As you walk down the path that takes you to the house, the small cemetary of where Brown is buried is to the left. A large bolder with two bronze placards tells of who all is buried with Brown. Across from the bolder are other grave markers, those of his children. Upon entering the house, the parlor is to your right. The room is modestly furnished and the only two pieces that actually belong to Brown and his wife are the wooden desk and bookcase. The other pieces allow you to get a sense of, what the furnishing may have looked like during that time. If time permits, I would love to take another tour of the house and barn before we leave the area to go back home, mostly to take more photos of inside the home and barn. If you love history then you definitely want to stop and check it out. Definetly worth stopping. Operate on donations from the public.
  • An amazing piece of history in a beautiful setting. The tribute to Black Lives Matter was stirring regardless of your politics. His soul goes marching on!

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