Historian and author Sandra Weber presents a webinar about her newest book, John Brown in New York: The Man, His Family, and the Adirondack Landscape. Weber offers a fresh and intimate look at the famed abolitionist, focusing on the years of the Brown family’s connection with North Elba, Essex County (1848–1863). The intertwining story of sublime Adirondack scenery, farm life, and racial justice explores John Brown not only as a national figure but as a husband, father, neighbor, and man of moral fiber. Weber’s insightful narrative bridges the myth and the man, revealing the tender and tragic heart of the Brown family story.

Sandra Weber has authored several books about the Adirondack region, including Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks (co-author, Peggy Lynn), Mount Marcy, The Finest Square Mile, and Adirondack Roots. Her articles have been published in Civil War Times, NYS Conservationist, Adirondack Life, Adirondack Explorer, Christian Science Monitor, and Highlights for Children. In addition to her writings, Weber is also well-known for her dramatic portrayals of Mary Brown in “Times of Trouble” and of Mother Johnson, Jeanne Robert Foster, Kate Field, and other women in “Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks.” She lives in Elizabethtown, about 25 miles from the John Brown Farm.

This public program is made possible by federal Library Service and Technology Act funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which enable the New York State Library to champion lifelong learning.