JOHN BROWN EXHIBIT
'John Brown's Raid in American Memory'
Where: Virginia Historical Society, 428 N. Boulevard
Opens: tomorrow and continues through April 11
Cost: $3-$5. Admission is free on Sundays.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m.
Phone: (804) 358-4901
Web site: vahistorical.org
Polarizing and controversial historical figure John Brown is the subject of a new exhibition at the Virginia Historical Society.
The exhibit, "John Brown's Raid in American Memory," opens tomorrow, and explores his actions to put an end to slavery and the ways he is remembered in a historical context.
Brown, along with 21 other men -- 16 white and five black -- raided, on Oct. 16, 1859, the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in what was then Virginia (and now is in West Virginia). The raid was a precursor of the Civil War.
Brown's goal was to put an end to the institution of slavery in the South by establishing a stronghold to carry out attacks on slaveholders and have slaves join their army.
"John Brown was an amazingly important figure in American history. He was the most divisive figure in that pre-war period by the raid on Harpers Ferry and the attempt to encourage slaves to rise up against their masters," said Paul A. Levengood, president and chief executive of the Historical Society.
Brown's aim during his attack on the federal armory was to seize the weapons stored there. The raid was quelled within 36 hours and Brown was later convicted of treason by a Virginia court and hanged.
The exhibit at the Historical Society examines more than just the raid itself. It examines the different ways Brown is remembered -- as a martyr to some, to others a violent terrorist.
"He considered himself as God's weapon, God's chosen instrument to bring about the end of an unholy institution -- slavery," Levengood said.
The exhibit features a Sharps carbine rifle, a broadside banning public attendance at Brown's hanging and his Bowie knife, which was taken from him by future Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart.
Artwork, screenprints, books, booklets and other objects relating to Brown are showcased.
Lauranett Lee, Historical Society Curator of African-American History, will explore Brown's memory within the black community during a gallery walk Feb. 10. Co-curator of the Brown exhibit, William M.S. Rasmussen, will give a lecture about the exhibit on Thursday and conduct a gallery walk Dec. 2.
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