The Portent: John Brown’s Raid in American Memory

This exhibition presents a thorough and balanced view of John Brown’s raid on the Federal Armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The exhibit includes documents, paintings, and prints, plus more commemorative ceramic objects relating to Brown than ever before displayed. The story of Brown’s early life, his fervent religious beliefs, his turn to violence as an abolitionist, and his Virginia raid and its aftermath are presented. Visitors can decide for themselves if Brown was a murderer or martyr.