Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is most widely known today for the attempted slave revolt led by John Brown in 1859, the nucleus for the interpretation of the current national park. Here, Teresa S. Moyer and Paul A. Shackel tell the behind-the-scenes story of how this event was chosen and preserved for commemoration, providing lessons for federal, state, local, and non-profit organizations who continually struggle over the dilemma about which past to present to the public. Professional and non-professional audiences alike will benefit from their important insights into how federal agencies interpret the past, and in turn shape public memory.
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, sits in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the confluence of two rivers, the Potomac and Shenandoah. Without the influence of John Brown and his raiders, Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame, and Thomas Jefferson, Harpers Ferry might have remained a sleepy little village. Instead, it became a frequently contested location for troops during the Civil War and changed hands eight times. Many of the current shops and restaurants are housed in the restored original buildings, built in the 1800s. A visit to Harpers Ferry is like stepping back in time to the year 1859, because the town has been restored to that period. It has been designated a National Historical Park, with many buildings owned and maintained by the National Park Service.
NATIONAL PARK JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAMS Description: "Explore, Learn, and Protect!" The Junior Ranger motto is recited by children around the country; each taking an oath of their own to protect parks, continue to learn about parks, and share their own ranger story with friends and family. The NPS Junior Ranger program is an activity based program conducted in almost all parks, and some Junior Ranger programs are national. Many national parks offer young visitors the opportunity to join the National Park Service "family" as Junior Rangers. Interested youth complete a series of activities during a park visit, share their answers with a park ranger, and receive an official Junior Ranger patch and Junior Ranger certificate. Junior Rangers are typically between the ages of 5 to 13, although people of all ages can participate. Park Rangers help to protect your parks by enforcing the rules and by helping you to understand why parks are important and why it is important to care for them. About the Centennial: On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service turns 100! The Centennial will kick off a second century of stewardship of America's national parks and engaging communities through conservation, recreation, and historic preservation programs, and will celebrate achievements of the past 100 years. Audience - Key Information Users: Parents of preschool through Pre-teen children, Children Age 5-13, Teachers, National Park Promoters and Commercial Operators near sites. Other related products: Haleakala Junior Ranger Activity Booklet can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01319-9?ctid=222 The White House Junior Ranger Activity Guide Book can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01317-2 Junior Park Ranger Redwood National & State Parks Activity Booklet, Ages 4 and Up, 2015 can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01316-4 Upper Farmington Wild and Scenic River: Junior River Ranger Activity Booklet can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01310-5 Herbert Hoover Ranger Activity Book can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01309-1 Discovering the Underground Railroad: Junior Ranger Activity Book can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01296-6 Guardabosques Junior de Refugios del Sur de Nevada: Refugios Nacionales de Vida Silvestre del Sur de Nevada (Spanish Language Publication) can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/024-005-01318-1
The first shot of the American Civil War was not fired on April 12, 1861, in Charleston, South Carolina, but instead came on October 16, 1859, in Harpers Ferry, Virginia—or so claimed former slave turned abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The shot came like a meteor in the dark. John Brown, the infamous fighter on the Kansas plains and detester of slavery, led a band of nineteen men on a desperate nighttime raid that targeted the Federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. There, they planned to begin a war to end slavery in the United States. But after 36 tumultuous hours, John Brown’s Raid failed, and Brown himself became a prisoner of the state of Virginia. Brown’s subsequent trial further divided north and south on the issue of slavery as Brown justified his violent actions to a national audience forced to choose sides. Ultimately, Southerners cheered Brown’s death at the gallows while Northerners observed it with reverence. The nation’s dividing line had been drawn. Herman Melville and Walt Whitman extolled Brown as a “meteor” of the war. Roughly one year after Brown and his men attacked slavery in Virginia, the nation split apart, fueled by Brown’s fiery actions. John Brown’s Raid tells the story of the first shots that led to disunion. Richly filled with maps and images, it includes a driving and walking tour of sites related to Brown’s Raid so visitors today can follow the path of America’s meteor.
