Harpers Ferry News and Events

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, in cooperation with the Jefferson County Board of Education and the Harpers Ferry Middle School, invites the public to a panel discussion, and question and answer session on John Brown's Raid, with Tony Horwitz, author of Midnight Rising and Confederates in the Attic.  Other panelists include:  Dennis Frye, Chief Historian, and David Fox, Park Ranger, both of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park; Dr. James Bryant, history professor, Shenandoah University; and John Rudy, adjunct history professor, Gettysburg College.

In addition to being a noted author, Mr. Horwitz also won a Pulitzer Prize for his work with the Wall Street Journal.  The recently-released Midnight Rising, a book on John Brown’s Raid, has received rave reviews.  Copies of the book will be available at the event.  This special program is part of an ongoing development series being provided by the Office of Education, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, through a grant from the Jefferson County Board of Education.

The event is FREE and will be held in the auditorium of the Harpers Ferry Middle School, on Washington Street, Bolivar, West Virginia, on Tuesday, 21 February 2012, from 6:30 until 8:00 p.m.  (In the event of  inclement weather, this event will be canceled.)

For more information, contact Jeff Driscoll, in the Office of Education, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, by e-mail to jeff_driscoll@nps.gov or by telephone at 304-535-6053.

In conjunction with Black History Month, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is pleased to announce its Black History Month program for 2012. Throughout February, a special exhibit, Running to Freedom: Fighting for Freedom, will focus on the African American struggle to escape bondage and fight to end the institution of slavery.

This special exhibit will open on Sunday, February 5, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. on the second floor of the John Brown Museum on Shenandoah Street in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Come learn Harpers Ferry's role in this story as one of many Union garrison towns where runaway slaves, or "contraband," sought refuge. Find out also about African Americans who served in the military, including West Virginia's Martin Delany, the only black officer to receive the rank of major during the Civil War.

For additional information, please call the Park Information Center at 304-535-6029.