Margaret Gibbs, Director of the Essex County Historical Society / Adirondack History Center Museum in Elizabethtown has sent along the following notice of the 150th Commemoration of John Brown scheduled for December 6th. Regular Adirondack Almanack readers know that I have been writing a series of posts on John Brown, his anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry Virginia, subsequent capture, trial, and execution. You can read the entire series here.

Here is the press release outlining the commemoration events:

On Sunday, December 6, 2009 the Adirondack History Center Museum is commemorating John Brown on the 150th anniversary of his death and the return of his body to Essex County. Events are scheduled in Westport and Elizabethtown in recognition of the role Essex County citizens played at the time of the return of John Brown’s body to his final resting place in North Elba. In the cause of abolition, John Brown raided the U. S. arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia on the night of October 16, 1859. The raid resulted in the capture of John Brown and the deaths of his sons Oliver & Watson and his sons-in-law William and Dauphin Watson. John Brown was tried in Charles Town, Virginia on charges of treason and inciting slaves to rebellion and murder. He was found guilty and hanged on December 2, 1859.

John Brown’s body was transported from Harper’s Ferry to Vergennes, VT, accompanied by his widow, Mary Brown. From Vermont the body was taken across Lake Champlain by sail ferry to Barber’s Point in Westport, and the journey continued through the Town of Westport and on to Elizabethtown. The funeral cortege arrived in Elizabethtown at 6 o’clock on the evening of December 6th 1859. The body of John Brown was taken to the Essex County Court House and “watched” through the night by four local young men. Mary Brown and her companions spent the night across the street at the Mansion House, now known as the Deer’s Head Inn. On the morning of December 7th the party continued on to North Elba. The burial of John Brown was on December 8th attended by many residents of Essex County.

The commemorative program on December 6th begins at 1:00 pm at the Westport Heritage House with award-winning author Russell Banks reading from his national bestselling novel, Cloudsplitter, about John Brown, his character and his part in the abolitionist movement. The program continues with a lecture by Don Papson, John Brown and the Underground Railroad, on whether or not Brown sheltered runaway slaves at his North Elba farm. Don Papson is the founding President of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association. The program continues in Elizabethtown at 3:30 pm at the United Church of Christ with The Language that Shaped the World, a tapestry of sounds, stories and characters portraying the human spirit and the fight for freedom. At 4:30 pm a procession follows John Brown’s coffin from the United Church of Christ to the Old Essex County Courthouse. At 5:00 pm the public may pay their respects at the Old Essex County Courthouse with the coffin lying in state. The program concludes at 5:30 PM with a reception held at the Deer’s Head Inn.

The cost for all events of the day including the Deer’s Head Inn reception is $40 ticket, or a $15 donation covers the programs at the Westport Heritage House and The Language that Shaped the World only. Reservations are requested. The procession and Courthouse are free and open to the public. The Westport Heritage House is located at 6459 Main Street, Westport, NY. The United Church of Christ, is located beside the museum on Court Street, Elizabethtown, NY. For more information, please contact the museum at 518-873-6466 or email echs@adkhistorycenter.org.

The December 6th program is part of a series of events from December 4-8, 2009 presented for the John Brown Coming Home Commemoration through the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau. For a complete schedule of events go to www.johnbrowncominghome.com.

2009 is the 50th anniversary of the Essex County Historical Society / Adirondack History Center Museum’s Brewster Memorial Library in Elizabethtown. The organization has a variety of exhibitions, tours, and other special events planned for the coming year — take the time to check them out.

Upcoming events:

Inside the Landscape (May 23 – October 31)
An exhibit showcasing contemporary artist Edward Cornell, cultivator of poignant creations which meld art, history and the present life of community. Cornell’s landscape paintings and farming-implement sculptures provide viewers with a deeper appreciation of the past which widens our perspective of the present day landscape.

In and Around Essex (May 23 – September 20)
An exhibition of thirty-one color photographs taken by photographer Betsy Tisdale in 1972 and originally showcased in the early 1980’s. The exhibit has been revitalized for 2009 to convey how the human landscape of Essex, New York has changed over the past twenty-seven years.

From Dusty Shelves to Intellectual Access (June 13 – October 31)
2009 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the museum’s research library, the Brewster Memorial Library. The exhibit examines 50 years of collecting, preserving and providing access to Essex County’s cultural history. It illuminates Essex County history by embracing its people, places, and events and honors 50 years of dedicated patronage by researchers, educators and the community.

Race, Gender and Class: Architecture & Society in Essex County (May 23 – October 31)
Race, gender, and class are explored in this exhibit by examining Essex County’s industrial, religious, and educational past through architecture using historic and contemporary photographs.

ANCA Cover Art Show (September 22 – October 31)
The 22nd year of the Arts Council for the Northern Adirondacks (ACNA) Cover Art Show featuring local artists. The Cover Art winner this year is Ray Jenkins of Tupper Lake with his watercolor “Sailboat Race- One Minute to Start” to be raffled at “Field, Forest and Stream Day” on September 26th, 2009. Thirty donated artworks for a Silent Auction are included in the exhibition.

Ways of the Woods: People and the Land in the Northern Forest (September 26)
As part of this year’s Field Forest and Stream Day, the Northern Forest Center’s mobile museum, Ways of the Woods, come to the museum grounds. Visitors step into the back of a 53 foot tractor-trailer to enjoy this exciting, innovative exhibit which illuminates the “changing relationships among people” through interactive displays, live performance and demonstration.

Architectural Heritage Tour of Elizabethtown with Adirondack Architectural Heritage (May 23, 9 a.m. & 1 p.m.)
As part of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial celebration, Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) is presenting a new tour series, Architecture of the Champlain Valley. Together with the Adirondack History Center Museum, come explore the architecture and rich cultural heritage of Elizabethtown on a half day walking tour led by professional guides. Please contact AARCH for reservations @ 518-834-9328

Boquet River Cemetery Tour (June 14, 3p.m.)
Margaret Bartley leads a walking tour of the Boquet River Cemetery in New Russia as another project of the popular New Russia History Project. The tour will locate and identify the tombstones of early settlers to the area.

Architecture and Society in Essex County (July 12, 4 p.m.)
A lecture offered by Ellen Ryan, Community Outreach Director with Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) to correspond with this season’s exhibit “Race, Gender, And Class: Architecture and Society in Essex County”. The lecture focuses on the question “What can we learn about people and their environment by looking at architecture?”

Bits and Pieces Performance Tour: From the Center of the World, A Celebration of Lake Champlain (Fridays: July 17, 24, 31 @ 11 a.m. Sundays: July 19, 26, and August 2 @4 p.m.)
A theatrical exploration of the changing landscape and the curious process of human “discovery” related to the 400th anniversary of Champlain’s journey on the lake that bears his name.

Historic Elizabethtown Slide Show (July 19, 3 p.m.)
Margaret Bartley conducts a slide show on Elizabethtown’s history as part of the Etown Day celebration. The lecture discusses the evolution of Elizabethtown by examining the various sections of town.

Settlers and Settlements (August 20, 4 p.m.)
Shirley LaForest, Essex Town Historian, offers a PowerPoint slide show and lecture depicting the life of successful local farmers in the 19th century. The lecture shows the commercial and social advantages of settlement in the Champlain Valley and northern Adirondack region.

Field Forest & Stream (September 26, 10 a.m. — 4:30 p.m.)
A harvest festival featuring demonstrations and exhibits by regional craftspeople, antique dealers with storytellers and musical performances.

Walking Tour of the Supernatural (October 24 & 31)
Gather at the Museum for cider & donuts and a ghostly beginning. Walk to the Riverside Cemetery for graveside revelations, and then through the woods to the Hand House for a haunting drawing room performance.

John Brown Commemorative (December 6)
Event commemorating the 150th anniversary of John Brown death at Harper’s Ferry and the return of the body for burial at his farm in North Elba.