The John Brown Wax Museum visually tells the story of John Brown and the raid on Harpers Ferry. John Brown was a white American abolitionist who believed armed insurrection was the only way to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States. During the 1856 conflict in Kansas, Brown commanded forces at the Battle of Black Jack and the Battle of Osawatomie. In 1859, Brown led an unsuccessful raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry that ended with his capture. Brown’s trial resulted in his conviction and a sentence of death by hanging.
Brown’s attempt in 1859 to start a liberation movement among enslaved African Americans in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, electrified the nation. He was tried for treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia, the murder of five men and inciting a slave insurrection. He was found guilty on all counts and was hanged.
Southerners alleged that his rebellion was the tip of the abolitionist iceberg and represented the wishes of the Republican Party to end slavery. Historians agree that the Harpers Ferry raid in 1859 escalated tensions leading to secession and the American Civil War.Most Northerners advocated peaceful resistance to the pro-slavery faction, Brown believed that peaceful resistance was shown to be ineffective and that the only way to defeat the oppressive system of slavery was through violent insurrection.
The John Brown Wax Museum is located on High Street in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The historic building existed during the time of John Brown’s raid in 1859.
Hours of Operations Call (304) 535-6342
9:00 am to 4:30 pm in the SPRING & FALL
10:00 am to 5:30 pm in the SUMMER
7 days a week from mid-March to mid-December
(*March and December are weekends only, however)
Closed Thanksgiving
Cost
Individuals
Adults $7.00
Seniors (60+) $6.00
Children (6-12) $5.00
Children under 6 are FREE!
Groups of 10 or More
(reservations requested)
Adults $6.00
Seniors (60+) $5.00
Jr. & Sr. High Student $4.50
Elementary Student $4.00
John Brown Wax Museum
168 High St., Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
(304) 535-6342
