John Brown Lives! (JBL!) has been awarded a $31,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Fund’s (EPF) Park and Trail Partnership Program to enhance interpretation at the John Brown Farm and to develop outreach strategies that raise awareness of and support of the site.

JBL! became the official Friends Group of the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid in 2016.

“Our goal is to elevate the John Brown Farm from a ‘best kept secret’ to a must-visit site,” said Martha Swan, Executive Director of JBL!, in an announcement sent to the press.  “We want the Farm to be recognized, visited and supported as a human rights destination, a place of teaching, reflection and dialogue, a public space to be treasured for its restful beauty, four-season recreational opportunities, and historical significance. Receiving this Parks and Trails grant now, in our 20th year, is a tremendous boost to our efforts.”

Friends groups — nonprofit organizations often made up entirely of volunteers — raise private funds for capital projects; perform maintenance tasks; provide educational programming; and promote public use through hosting special events.

JBL! has been working to help preserve, interpret and promote the home and final resting place of abolitionist John Brown since 1999.

John Brown Day, an annual celebration, will take place from 2 pm on May 4th at the Farm. JBL! will be celebrating 20 years and the day will be one for reflection and action.

The grant announced on March 19 is one of 22 awards totaling $450,000 for organizations dedicated to the stewardship and promotion of New York’s State Parks and Historic Sites. The grants, funded through the Environmental Protection Fund, will be matched by almost $150,000 in private and local funding and support projects to strengthen Friends groups and enhance public access and recreational opportunities at state parks and historic sites across the state. The Park and Trail Partnership Program grants are administered by the State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and Parks & Trails New York, a statewide non-profit group.

Illustration of John Brown provided by JBL!