General Jacob J. Brown Days

The War of 1812 is sometimes obscured in history books, and Jacob J. Brown’s feats – he won three of the nine major U.S. victories in the War of 1812 – go similarly unheralded. Except, that is, at this annual festival, held for the 36th time in 2014. Brown was a farmer with little formal military training who became a general; the farmer, who had surveying experience, turned his knowledge of the terrain into a tactical advantage, acting boldly to secure the war. Still, despite his success, he is largely unrecognized. “There’s a lot of acronyms, and people call it GB. We’re not GB weekend — we’re the General Brown days,” one of the event’s organizers told the Watertown Daily Times. “It’s our purpose to remember what he did for our community.”

Brownville is named for Brown, who settled there in 1799 Brown’s 22-room Georgian mansion, constructed of native limestone, is now the village’s office, library and community center. Carnival rides, barbeques and more highlight the weekend