John Brown Tannery - Guys Mills, PA - Photos Then and Now on Waymarking.com

The John Brown Tannery is located on John Brown Road in Guys Mills, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. According to a sign at the site, the tannery was 26 feet by 50 feet and had two levels, the upper floor built of wood, and the lower floor build of stone with 2-feet thick walls. The upper portion was destroyed by a fire in 1907. The lower portion is the part that still stands here today.

The "then" photo shows the building as it stood in 1885. The "now" photo shows what remains of the building in 2022. It is easy to see how the doors and windows in the foundation align with the doors and windows in the "then" photo.

The sign at the site also gives the following information about the site's history:

"The stone walls...were originally part of a tannery built by John Brown, later famous for trying to start a slave revolt at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia) in October 1859. He used the building for producing leather out of animal skins, a pioneer industry located in what at first was called Randolph Township. From 1826 to 1835, Brown and his family made their home here in Crawford County. Over those years, he prospered some but eventually failed in business. He mourned the loss of a wife but married again. He improved the community, nurtured his household and became known for strong convictions. Brown spent about one-sixth of his life in the township, the longest he ever resided in any one place as an adult. The tannery foundation survives, a monument to the epic man who helped settle northwestern Pennsylvania and thrust America toward the Civil War."

Photo Source: (visit link)

Year photo was taken: 1885

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