Owen Brown's Grave Marker Has Been Found

The missing headstone that once marked the Altadena foothill grave of Owen Brown has been found, according to Paul Ayers of the Save Altadena Trails group.

Owen Brown, who fought alongside his father, radical abolitionist John Brown, at the raid on Harpers Ferry, spent his final years in a cabin near El Prieto canyon. He died in 1889, and was buried at Little Round Top, overlooking Altadena.

The site has been a source of controversy since 2002. An owner of the adjacent property attempted to block public access to a hiking trail, a move which blocked access to Brown's grave, as well. In 2004, as a legal battle between the owner and trail advocacy groups raged on, the headstone mysteriously disappeared.

According to Ayers, the gravestone was found by resident Ian White and his son yesterday, and is now “secure.”

The Save Altadena’s Trails intention is to “take all necessary legal and logistical steps necessary to restore the grave stone to its rightful place marking Owen Brown's grave at the top of Little Round Top."

Patch will update this article with details regarding the headstone's discovery and recovery if the information becomes available.