John Brown Birthplace Site

One of the most famous abolitionists in America was John Brown. In 1859, his armed raid on the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, for the purpose of ending slavery, foreshadowed the Civil War two years later to achieve the same end. Brown was born in Torrington, Connecticut, in 1800, at this site. The house was destroyed by fire in 1918, but the property is maintained by the Torrington Historical Society. The image of Brown’s house is incorporated in the City of Torrington’s seal. Pikes used by John Brown and his men in the Harpers Ferry raid were made by the Collins Company, located in the Collinsville section of nearby Canton. The Canton Historical Museum has one of these spikes on display.