Here are a few Indian related pictures from the 2026 Empire Chapter meet at Madison county fairgrounds Brookfield NY.
Before the civil war Madison county was a hotbed of abolitionist activity due in large part
to a wealthy fellow named Gerrit Smith. Gerrit was acquainted with everyone who was anyone in the anti-slavery movement; in addition to Fredrick Douglas there was Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth
and John Brown. Smith developed a close personal and financial relationship with Brown. He gave Brown a farm in New York States Essex County (“Timbucto”), supplied funds for Brown’s Kansas activities and later plans, and was one of the “Secret Six” northern supporters who backed the 1859 Harpers Ferry raid.
The Harpers Ferry raid was an armed assault on a U.S. federal facility. It resulted in deaths among Brown’s raiders, local civilians/hostages, and responding U.S. Marines and militia. Slavery was fully legal under U.S. and Virginia law at the time. Financing or knowingly supporting such an action could reasonably be viewed, under the law of the time, as conspiracy, accessory to murder, and treason against Virginia (the charge on which Brown was convicted and hanged),
After the raid’s failure, Brown’s capture, trial, and the intense public scrutiny (plus fear of prosecution), Smith "suffered a severe mental breakdown". His family arranged for him to be taken to the New York State Lunatic Asylum in Utica, NY. Where he remained there about two months.
Empire Meet 2026 A IMG_5141.jpg
Empire Meet 2026 B IMG_5142.jpg
Empire Meet 2026 C IMG_5144.jpg
Empire Meet 2026 D IMG_5143.jpg
Before the civil war Madison county was a hotbed of abolitionist activity due in large part
to a wealthy fellow named Gerrit Smith. Gerrit was acquainted with everyone who was anyone in the anti-slavery movement; in addition to Fredrick Douglas there was Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth
and John Brown. Smith developed a close personal and financial relationship with Brown. He gave Brown a farm in New York States Essex County (“Timbucto”), supplied funds for Brown’s Kansas activities and later plans, and was one of the “Secret Six” northern supporters who backed the 1859 Harpers Ferry raid.
The Harpers Ferry raid was an armed assault on a U.S. federal facility. It resulted in deaths among Brown’s raiders, local civilians/hostages, and responding U.S. Marines and militia. Slavery was fully legal under U.S. and Virginia law at the time. Financing or knowingly supporting such an action could reasonably be viewed, under the law of the time, as conspiracy, accessory to murder, and treason against Virginia (the charge on which Brown was convicted and hanged),
After the raid’s failure, Brown’s capture, trial, and the intense public scrutiny (plus fear of prosecution), Smith "suffered a severe mental breakdown". His family arranged for him to be taken to the New York State Lunatic Asylum in Utica, NY. Where he remained there about two months.
Empire Meet 2026 A IMG_5141.jpg
Empire Meet 2026 B IMG_5142.jpg
Empire Meet 2026 C IMG_5144.jpg
Empire Meet 2026 D IMG_5143.jpg