Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-06-12
The Grave of John Brown.

A correspondent of a New York
paper thus describes the grave of John
Brown, which is situated in front of
the house he used to occupy in the
town ofNorth Elba, New York among
the Adirondack mountains:
"The lot in which John Brown is
buried lies east of the house,and corn
ers toward it, and separated from it
by space of only two or three rods.
The fence on each side is three rods
in length, five boards high, rough and
unplaned. In the middle of the lot
there is rock of granite occupying a
space upon the ground nearly square,
and almost perpendicular upon all
sides. The north side is ten feet high
the opposite four, and the circum-
terence hVe rods. Across the top,
from the west to the east, (standing
On the south side,) you will read:
JOHN BROWN,
1859,
Each letter and figure is one foot
high and nearly one wide, and cut one
inch into the rock. Mr.. Alexis Hink-
ley, the present owner and occupant
OF the house-a gentlemanly and well
informed young man-said to me {:
This work was done by a stone cut
ter, J. A. Daniels. He was sent here
for that purpose by Wendell Phillips
and Francis Lee. 1t took him three
days and half to accomplish it
John Brown is buried with his feet
to the rock, with his head to the west
in line with the two opposite corn
erS of the lot and the house. The
headstone is of coarse granite, three
feet eighs inches high, twenty-five in
cheS wide and two inches thick. 1t
was procured and lettered a long
time ago in Connecticut, for the
grave Of Captain John Brown. but,a
it did not suit his children, it was
never erected there, but remained till
his grand son who lies here, brought
it to Westport,and there left it. When
Mrs. Brown was with her husband in
a Virginia prison, as | understood, he
expressed a wish to be buried near
his house in North Elba, and have
this stone placed at his head. AL
though other inscriptions are upon it,
still only one body lies here.
Here and thus-as | have describ-
ed-lies the body OF one who, by a
single daring deed, shook the world
as with the suddenness of a thunder,
bolt. And here my thoughts natur.
ally ran upon the great events that
this one deed fastened, modified OF
produced. | have never been a fol
9wf is q GRAVE eh8 ana Brq% q%Y9,nRp nRpto of standing and
around | can truly say how wonder
ful In this high region is the rock
that | have described. To appear
ance, for several miles each way from
this rock, the earth is comparatively
level, though undulating and beauti.
fully diversified by lakes, streams anC
groves. All around beyond this dis
tance the earth rises into hundreds
Of mountains and hills, rearing then
SUBMITS into the heavens and form
ing an entire circle. Among them you
find Mount Marcy-the highest in the
State, (Tahawia of the Adirondacks,
also, Mount Mcintyre, Mount Nc
Martin, Whitetace and others, rank
ing in the tirst-class. 1t does appear
as though God had prepared this
spot for some specific object. Was
this rock placed here purposely as g
monument for the one who alone anC
silently lies at its base? Was this
mountain chain designedly reared tc
wall this spot around? ? And lastly
, Pilgrim to what is called, "the shrine
of John Brown the martyr as yol
enter this circle through dark anC
deep mountain passes, does your con
: science whisper: This is sacred
! ground ?" Nearly every day people
from a distance visit this place."