Bowery in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
John Brown's Body On The Bowery
McGraw and Taylor Undertakers
— 163 Bowery —
This is the former site of undertakers McGraw and Taylor, where the body of John Brown was secretly prepared for burial. Executed on December 2, 1859, for the raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, the radical abolitionist had tried to ignite an armed movement to liberate slaves.
Brown’s body was transported north in a crude box with the noose still around his neck. After Philadelphia rejected his widow’s attempt to have the remains properly prepared there, the body was shipped to Manhattan, escorted by poet/abolitionist Theodore Tilton. On December 3, it arrived at 163 Bowery under cover of darkness. Quaker undertaker Jacob Hopper prepared the body, assisted by Charley Carpenter, sexton of St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery.
When word leaked out, hundreds came out to view the body, including some of the city’s elite. Viewers found it attired in a good suit, resting on ice. One employee said Brown appeared “as serene as if in sleep,” and that she had never seen “a finer looking man of his age, after such a death, too.”
On Dec. 5, in a “simple but elegant coffin,” the remains traveled home to Essex County. Before “moldering in the grave,” John Brown’s body rested here—on the Bowery.
- Louis A. DeCaro Jr., Freedom’s Dawn: The Last Days of John Brown in Virginia
Erected 2016 by Bowery Alliance of Neighbors.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is December 2, 1859.
Location. 40° 43.186′ N, 73° 59.644′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in the Bowery. Marker is on Bowery north of Broome Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 163 Bowery, New York NY 10002, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Hi-Tech (here, next to this marker); Vaudeville Hook Is Born! (a few steps from this marker); Faerman’s Cash Registers (a few steps from this marker); NYC's Oldest Operating Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); Italian Theatre & Triple-Jointed Wonders (within shouting distance of this marker); Anti-Slavery Work In Federal Era Houses (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Home Of Photographer Robert Frank (about 400 feet away); Former Bowery Savings Bank (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
More about this marker. One of more than sixty entries in the “Windows on the Bowery” series.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 29, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 349 times since then and 51 times this year. Last updated on August 14, 2021, by Daniel Eisenberg of Boca Raton, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 29, 2019, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.