Also American

Person · 1815–1897

Henry "Box" Brown

The self-liberator who mailed himself to freedom in a wooden crate in 1849.

An icon of self-emancipation and the [[slave-narratives]].

After his wife and children were sold away, Henry Brown had himself sealed in a small box and shipped from Richmond to Philadelphia abolitionists — surviving 27 hours upside down. He became a celebrated abolitionist showman.

On the timeline

  1. March 23, 1849
    Henry "Box" Brown mails himself to freedom

    Henry Brown is sealed in a crate and shipped from Richmond to Philadelphia, arriving alive after 27 hours — one of the most audacious escapes ever.

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