A Granby author famous in America before Disney

Palmer Cox is renowned the world over for his wonderful children’s books with fantastic creatures known as Brownies. He first rose to fame with Brownies’ first story, “The Brownies’ Ride,” which appeared in the February 1883 issue of St. Nicholas, a popular children’s magazine of the day.

Native of Granby

Born on a farm between Adamsville and Granby in 1840, Palmer Cox attended Granby Academy. At a young age, he moved to California where he embarked on comic books, poetry and writing for magazines.

His mansion in Granby

Cox made millions, lived in Europe for years and then, for some reason, decided to return to Granby where he built Brownie Castle between 1902 and 1904. The castle has 17 rooms, an octagonal tower and stained-glass windows. illustrating the Brownies. It still exists today.

His characters

His first series of Brownies Stories was published in 1887 and has sold over a million copies. Palmer Cox has published 25 books including 16 devoted to the adventures of the Brownies.

The Brownies were based on the stories he grew up with about his Scottish heritage, particularly his mother who was from the Highlands. In Scottish folklore, Brownies were tiny spirits who helped people around the house. The “Brownies” were cheerful little spirits or goblins of the order of the fairies. They were all little men, and only appeared at night to perform useful good deeds or to enjoy harmless pranks while weary households slept, never being seen by mortals. No one, except those with a second sight, could see the “Brownies”; but among the privileged few, mainly old women, who could thus catch sight of their goblin guests from time to time, they are said to have obtained correct information about their size and color.