John Brown Among 4 Named to National Abolition Hall of Fame

(Peterboro, N.Y.) AP -- He was hanged for leading a raid on a federal arsenal nearly 150 years ago. Later this year, John Brown will be inducted into the National Abolition Hall of Fame.

The organization was established in 2005 to pay tribute to historical figures who worked to end slavery in the United States. The inaugural inductees include Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman.

The second class of inductees was announced Wednesday in the Madison County hamlet of Peterboro, about 20 miles east of Syracuse. Organizers of the Abolition Hall of Fame hope to create a museum in Peterboro to honor people who fought against slavery.

Upstate New York was a key link in the Underground Railroad used by escaped slaves to reach Canada in the years before and during the Civil War.

John Brown led the raid on the U.S. arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia in 1859. He's buried just outside Lake Placid. This year's class of inductees also includes Sojourner Truth, Lydia Maria Child, and Wendell Phillips.

Induction ceremonies will be held October 20 at Colgate University in Madison County. ©2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.