The John Brown House, also known as the Ritner Boarding House, is an historic American home that is located in

Chambersburg Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the Ma ...

Franklin County, Pennsylvania Franklin County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 155,932 Its county seat is Chambersburg. Franklin County comprises the Chambersburg–Waynesboro, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, whi ...

. Listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1970, it is included in the Chambersburg Historic District.

History and architectural features

This historic structure is a two-story, three-bay wide, clapboard-covered, hewn-log building. Abolitionist John Brown (1800–1859) stayed here from June until mid-October 1859, while receiving supplies and recruits for his raid on

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...

. Following the raid, four of Brown's followers returned to the house to be concealed. ''Note:'' This includes It is operated by the Franklin County Historical Society - Kittochtinny, as a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

. It was listed on the

in 1970. It is included in the Chambersburg Historic District. It has been designated as an authentic site in the

National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

References

External links

The John Brown House website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, John, House John Brown sites Historic house museums in Pennsylvania Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses in Franklin County, Pennsylvania Museums in Franklin County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County, Pennsylvania Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Pennsylvania Monuments and memorials to John Brown (abolitionist)