A Special Reading Honoring the Anniversary of John Brown’s Raid on Harpers FerryReturn to Calendar

Friday, October 16, 2026

1:00pm-2:00pm

Location: The Kennedy Farm (John Brown Raid Headquarters), 2406 Chestnut Grove Road, near Sharpsburg, Maryland
Event/Entrance Fee: Donations toward the upkeep of this historic property are gr

There will be a special reading of John Brown’s Declaration of Liberty, delivered by Doug Dobbs, a leading John Brown interpreter. Introductory and concluding remarks will be presented by the eminent John Brown scholar Professor Louis DeCaro. Brown completed his powerful treatise in 1859 at the Maryland farm he rented as headquarters for his planned raid on Harpers Ferry. In the Declaration, he challenges the injustice of slavery and proclaims the equal rights of all people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Following Brown’s wounding and capture, scouring for evidence against him, Virginia’s governor sent emissaries to the farm where they obtained this historic document, which is preserved by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.