Frederick Douglass-John Brown Meeting

Frederick Douglass-John Brown Meeting is a Michigan historical marker in Detroit, Wayne County, dedicated 2010.

633 East Congress Street, Detroit

Get directions ↗Start a road trip Historical trails

In the home of William Webb, two hundred feet north of this spot, two famous Americans met several Detroit Negro residents on March 12, 1859, to discuss methods of abolishing American Negro slavery. John Brown (1800-1859), fiery antislavery leader, ardently advocated insurrectionary procedures, and eight months later became a martyr to the cause. Frederick Douglass (c. 1817-1895), ex-slave and internationally recognized antislavery orator and writer, sought a solution through political means and orderly democratic processes. Although they differed on tactics to be used, they were united in the immortal cause of American Negro freedom. Among the prominent members of Detroit’s Negro community reported to have been present were: William Lambert, George De Baptiste, Dr. Joseph Ferguson, Reverend William S. Monroe, Willis Wilson, John Jackson, and William Webb.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1796 · N. W. Territory. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1812 · Ohio. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1815 · Map of Detroit River and Adjacent Country. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1820 · Map Of The State Of Ohio (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1844 · Chart Of Detroit River, From Lake Erie To Lake St. Slair (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

N. W. Territory, 1796, covering the location of Frederick Douglass-John Brown Meeting, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — N. W. Territory, 1796, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

Example

For example, one family's tree showed the Articles of Confederation marker in Pennsylvania standing under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s.

What that marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years there.

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

Marker data: Michigan History Center
TreeAlive is an independent project. The State of Michigan and the Michigan History Center are not responsible for maintaining the information on this site.

More markers nearby

First Jewish Religious Servicessame spot
Detroit Cornice and Slate Buildingunder 1 mi
S.S. Peter and Paul Churchunder 1 mi
Holy Family Churchunder 1 mi