John Brown was a dedicated abolitionist who devoted his life to ending enslavement, ultimately giving his life for the cause. Though best known for his 1859 raid on the U.S. Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Brown’s connection to the Adirondacks played a crucial role in his activism. In 1849, inspired by abolitionist Gerrit Smith’s effort to provide land to African American farmers, Brown moved his family to North Elba in the Adirondacks. There, he purchased land, assisted Black settlers in building homes and farms, and worked to create a self-sufficient, free Black community known as “Timbukto.” After his execution for the Harpers Ferry raid, Brown was buried at his North Elba home, making the Adirondacks both a center of his abolitionist work and his final resting place.