The Brownland

This photo shows part of the proposed mine from the hillside below the house at The Brownland.

The Brownland is a dream come to life. It is a vision of America and a belief in its principles that people of African descent carried from slavery to freedom. It has been nurtured and sustained through much hard work and against many odds over the course of eight generations. It was bought in small pieces with money an enslaved man began saving by working at his trade two shifts each day -- one for the master of Burlington, one for his dream. This man -- J. Albert Brown -- eventually bought his own freedom, and that of his wife, Winifred, who "belonged" to the nearby Barbours. That couple’s descendants continue to inhabit their dream of a house and surrounding farm. They also continue the struggle to protect their small piece of America. Indeed, each generation of this family has kept some folks at home to care for the land while it sent others abroad to make the money that has always been needed, beyond farming, to keep this purchase safe.