Harpers Ferry Community Newsletter October 2016 Volume 13 Issue 6

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Emil McKenzie
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24 2 Mayor s Corner; Superintendent Rebecca Harriett s retirement Nature Program on Vultures; Harpers Ferry Water Works news Blast From the Past 5 3 4 9 Charming Towns Across America to Visit This

1 Harpers Ferry Community Newsletter October 2016 Volume 13 Issue 6 Trick-or-Treat 2016! Trick-or-Treat will take place in the Town of Harpers Ferry on Monday, October 31, 2016, from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Inside this issue: Calendar; Family Hiking Day - Sept Mayor s Corner; Superintendent Rebecca Harriett s retirement Nature Program on Vultures; Harpers Ferry Water Works news Blast From the Past Charming Towns Across America to Visit This Fall The U.S. News and World Report identified nine charming towns in the U.S. to visit this Fall. Harpers Ferry was one of those nine towns selected. This is truly an honor that we should all take pride in. You are invited to view the nine towns at the link below: Candidate Forum Dates for Election; Harpers Ferry Cemetery 6 Harpers Ferry National Historic Park Events in October Dollhouse raffle by Woman s Club The Town s official website has useful information including important notices, ordinances, meeting minutes, official applications, and events calendar. Visit us at

2 September 24 - Family Hiking Day On Saturday, September 24th, a small but enthusiastic group of town and local residents gathered for an outing at Murphy Farm in honor of the Appalachian Trail

2 2 September 24 - Family Hiking Day On Saturday, September 24th, a small but enthusiastic group of town and local residents gathered for an outing at Murphy Farm in honor of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy-sponsored Family Hiking Day, as well as Public Lands Day. Participants, including eight adults and six kids of varying ages, enjoyed a stroller-friendly walk through the farm led by Bolivar resident Sarah Shafer. In addition to enjoying the beautiful outdoors, Sarah shared detailed knowledge about the historic significance of the property during the Civil War and its history since. ATC s Laurie Potteiger added a little volunteer clean-up time in honor of Public Lands Day. The kids enjoyed making art out of tree discs at the end of the walk. It was a great opportunity to get outdoors together with friends and family. We hope more people will join in next year. Town Calendar All meetings at Town Hall, unless noted otherwise. Wednesday, October 5 Monday, October 10 Wednesday, October 12 Monday, October 17 Tuesday, October 18 Wednesday, October 19 Wednesday, October 26 Thursday, October 27 Municipal Court, 7-9 pm Town Council Meeting, 7 pm Parks and Recreation Commission, 6 pm Landmarks Commission, 7 pm Planning Commission, 7 pm Water Commission meeting, 7-9pm Harpers Ferry Foundation Board meeting, 5:30 pm Tree Committee, 7 pm

3 Mayor s Corner from Mayor Greg Vaughn Smoother Roads and Parking Lots Coming Soon This fall the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration will complete a project to preserve

Workers will fill cracks, chip seal, and apply thin layers of asphalt to the surface in order to extend the life of the roads and parking lots.

3 3 Mayor s Corner from Mayor Greg Vaughn Smoother Roads and Parking Lots Coming Soon This fall the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration will complete a project to preserve several roads and parking lots within Harpers Ferry and the National Park. Workers will fill cracks, chip seal, and apply thin layers of asphalt to the surface in order to extend the life of the roads and parking lots. This preservation process will not only extend the surface life of the roadway but will also create a smoother driving surface without resorting to the heavy reconstruction of the areas. The train station parking lot has already been completed and its appearance has been dramatically enhanced. Within the coming weeks the Cavalier Heights parking lot will be reconstructed, along with Shenandoah Street, Hog Alley, Public Way, Shoreline Drive and several small Park Service parking areas. Any work done on Town property will be undertaken at no cost to the Town. Due to the scheduling of some of the work, there may be some minor disruptions to traffic flow. These will be kept at a minimum and your patience is appreciated. The project is expected to be completed by the end of November. Retirement from Harpers Ferry National Historical Park A crowd of several hundred Park employees, Harpers Ferry residents and town officials were on hand to celebrate the retirement of Rebecca Harriett, the superintendent of HFNHP, on September 28, Congratulations to Superintendent Harriett! Thank you for your service and for being a good friend to Harpers Ferry! Communicating with the Mayor or Council Mayor Greg Vaughn hfmayor@frontier.com Recorder Kevin Carden kevin.carden@harpersferrywv.us Council Betsy Bainbridge betsybainbridge@yahoo.com Members Jerry Hutton jerwar@frontiernet.net Hardy Johnson hsjohnsonjr@yahoo.com Charlotte Thompson charlotte.thompson@harpersferrywv.us Helen Hap Becker hap.becker@harpersferrywv.us Water Dept. Phone: ext. 1 acummings@harpersferrywv.us Newsletter Information: Editor /Layout: Laurel Drake intern1@harpersferrywv.us Next deadline: Wednesday, October 26, 2016

4 AUDUBON SPONSORING NOV. 4 PROGRAM ABOUT VULTURES The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor a program about vultures on Friday, November 4, in Bolivar. The program will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Bolivar Community Center, which is located at 60 Panama Street.

She will discuss the natural history and biology of vultures, and their role in the ecosystems in which they live.

4 4 AUDUBON SPONSORING NOV. 4 PROGRAM ABOUT VULTURES The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor a program about vultures on Friday, November 4, in Bolivar. The program will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Bolivar Community Center, which is located at 60 Panama Street. Admission will be free and everyone is welcome to attend. The speaker will be Katie Fallon, a West Virginia birder and writer who lives in Morgantown. She will discuss the natural history and biology of vultures, and their role in the ecosystems in which they live. Vultures are common in the Harpers Ferry area because the confluence of rivers and surrounding terrain foster thermal air currents they favor and provide excellent overall habitat for them. Ms. Fallon has taught creative writing at West Virginia University and Virginia Tech. An avid birder, she is also one of the founders of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, a nonprofit organization devoted to conserving birds through research, education, and rehabilitation. She is the author of numerous nonfiction articles and essays and a recent book about Cerulean warblers: Cerulean Blues¾A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird (Ruka Press, 2011). Harpers Ferry Water Works News How to pay your water/sewer bill: Monday- Friday 8-12: The window at the Police Office at Town Hall will be open. Other times: Call Ext. 1 to make an appointment to see the Water Clerk. 7 days a week: Leave payment with stub in the slotted box on the Police Dept. door or the Town Hall door at the east end of the Town Hall. Mail your payment: HF Water Works, PO Box 217, Harpers Ferry, WV Pay online: Go to Did you know? If you move to Harpers Ferry or Bolivar and want to start water service, you must apply for new water service and new sewer service, and pay a deposit for each. When you get ready to move out, you must fill out a Termination Form, giving the effective date, so that the Water Dept. can read your meter, shut it off and send you a final bill. The New Water Service, New Sewer Service and Termination Forms are downloadable on the town website under the Water Dept. tab. They are also available at Town Office.

5 5 Blast from the Past Odds and ends from 125 years of Council minutes curated by Dan Riss 22 may 1922 upon advice from an engineer from Frederick MD [Emory C Crum?] "giving his judgment as to the best routes to select over and along which to lay the water lines for fire protection...it was moved in keeping with this report, that the fire lines begin at the Shenandoah Pulp Mill, extend down Shenandoah St to the intersection of Potomac St; up Potomac St to what is known as the Tibb-John Alley-- that from that point up the alley to High St a surface line be laid ending with a fire plug on Washington St at the intersection of the Alley & Street. The location of the fire line on Camp Hill was not changed." 30 jan 1923 extract from mayor Marlatt'rs report on his service in 1920, 1921 and 1922: : "After the citizens talked of fire protection for thirty years in meeting after meeting, your Mayor and Councilmen, with the assistance of the Bank of Harpers Ferry, gave the town a fire line in sixty days, at a cost of approximately five thousand dollars ($ ). This is partly paid for. Owing to a debt of three thousand five hundred dollars ($ ), still on the fire line, it was necessary to impose a license tax on motor propelled vehicles, and raise the levy from fourty cents to fifty cents. After paying off the present indebteness, this license tax can easily be reduced to a minimum charge. "The fire line is not complete by any means. There are several things to do before completion, such as, increasing the plugs, buying five hundred or one thousand feet more hose to add to our fice hundred feet which we all ready possess, at a cost of five hundred dollars ($500.00). The town will have to make some contracts for water coming through our line, build its own stand, or buy Storer Colleges, therby making us independent of private institutions and individuals. "Although our hose and fire line is not paid for in full, I can conscientiously say it has all ready paid for itself. It decreases the rate of insurance. The store on the corporation street owned by the Wentzell heirs, caught fire and was partially destroyed, when a hand full of citizens with our fire hose quelled the fire in thirty minutes. People living two blocks from the building never knew until the next morning how near they came to being homeless. Had it not been for this fire line and hose, the fire more than likely would have destroyed the lower end of the town."

6 The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization which has as a goal providing voter registration and candidate information.

6 6 The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization which has as a goal providing voter registration and candidate information. In Jefferson County the League organizes candidate forums in advance of the November election. The following are the scheduled forums for Jefferson, Morgan and Berkeley Counties. S CHEDULE FOR CANDIDATE FORUMS Tues, 10/11, 7-9pm, at Byrd Center. Possible two sessions: Governor, US House; WV Secretary of State & WV Attorney General (times depend on who accepts) Thurs, 10/13, 7-8:30pm, at JC Commission meeting room. JC Accessor, JC Circuit Clerk, JC County Clerk Tues, 10/18, 7-9pm, at JC Commission meeting room. 7-8: JC County Commission for Charles Town & Shepherdstown; 8-9: JC Prosecuting Attorney and JC Sheriff Tues, 10/25, 7-9pm, at Byrd Center. 7-8: WV House of Delegates, Districts 65, 66, 67; 8-9: WV State Senate, Districts 16 (Berkeley & Jefferson) & 15 (Berkeley & Morgan) Wed, 10/26, 7-9pm, at JC Commission meeting room. WV State Auditor, WV State Treasurer, WV Commissioner of Agriculture (times depend on who accepts) Help Restore Historic Harper Cemetery Harper Cemetery is a historic and much visited cemetery in West Virginia. The cemetery is bordered on the south by the Appalachian Trail and is the final resting place to the town s founder and his family, veterans of the American Revolutionary War, Union and Confederate soldiers, the founder of Storer College. It is also the site of perhaps the best view of the Gap in the mountains where the Potomac River crosses the mountains on its way to the Atlantic. The Cemetery Board is asking for assistance to help restore the decaying grave stones of Robert Harper, the town s founder, and his wife. The Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Historic Town Foundation has partnered with the cemetery s Board of Trustees to help raise funds to restore the grave stones of Robert Harper and his wife as a first step in a comprehensive restoration plan targeting many grave stones throughout the cemetery that are in need of specialized care. Many of these historic grave stones mark the resting place of residents who have no living family. In addition, restoration of the cast iron gates and fencing is needed. Further, the stone wall bordering the southern boundary of the cemetery is compromised in several places and in need of restoration. The Trustees and the Foundation urge you to participate in this project by making a tax-deductible contribution in any amount at the following site: If you d rather, you may make a check payable to Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Historic Town Foundation and earmark it for Harper Cemetery Restoration Fund. Checks should be mailed to Harpers Ferry- Bolivar Foundation, Post Office Box 1427, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

7 National Park Service Events in October! Saturday, October 15: Election Day 1860: To the Polls Ye Sons of Freedom!

Election Day 1860. Participate in a national Presidential Election and cast a ballot to change the course of history.

Each will illustrate the social, economic, cultural and political divisions that permeated the national scene in the 1860s.

7 7 National Park Service Events in October! Saturday, October 15: Election Day 1860: To the Polls Ye Sons of Freedom! Time: 11 am to 4 pm Location: Lower Town On Saturday October 15th, from 11am to 4pm, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park invites you to attend and participate in the living history event called Election Day Participate in a national Presidential Election and cast a ballot to change the course of history. Each of the presidential candidates political platforms will be interpreted through special displays and living history campaign headquarters. Each will illustrate the social, economic, cultural and political divisions that permeated the national scene in the 1860s. Polls for park visitors and living history volunteers will be offered in the park s Dry Goods Store exhibit, offering everyone an opportunity to elect the candidate of their choice as the 1860 President of the United States. This year s event offers a unique opportunity to look back 157 years to the roots of Civil War and how John Brown s 1859 Raid influenced the 1860 voter at the ballot box. The white Abolitionist John Brown attempted to seize weapons from the town s United States Armory in his ill-fated effort to arm and free slaves. Brown and the surviving raiders were captured by U.S. Marines. They were convicted of conspiring insurrection, treason, and murder. Brown was executed on December 2nd, Brown s Raid further polarized slavery and anti-slavery factions, including national political parties, and influenced the 1860 presidential election. This living history program will share these opposing viewpoints with park visitors. The election labeled Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln as a Black Republican. Lincoln is not on the ballot in the state of Virginia. Politically, the south is Democratic and hatred for the Republican is intense. Lincoln was pitted against a vast array of experienced Democratic and Constitutional Union Party politicians with contrasting viewpoints on slavery at play in the political arena. On November 6, 1860, the American electorate cast their ballots for the next President of the United States. This resulted in the election of Abraham Lincoln that provoked secession of southern states. Civil War soon followed. Abraham Lincoln Stephen Douglas John Bell John Breckinridge Photos from

8 8 National Park Service Events in October (continued) Sunday, October 16: At All Times Ready: The U.S. Marines Reacting To The Raid 1859 Time: 11 am to 4 pm Location: Lower Town On Sunday, October 16th, from 11am to 4pm, Harpers Ferry NHP invites the public to attend At All Times Ready: The U.S. Marines Reacting To The Raid On October 16, 1859, all eyes focused on Harpers Ferry and John Brown s raid to free 4 million enslaved African Americans. Brown s raid polarized slavery and anti-slavery factions, including national political parties, influencing the 1860 presidential election. This living history program will share opposing points of view with park visitors. John Brown, the fiery abolitionist, attacked Harpers Ferry Armory on October 16 and was captured two days later by the US Marines. This program harks back to the town under martial law, living in fear of other attacks or slave insurrection. The volunteers of the USMC Historical Company will portray the many reactions of the town and military. Special program presentations will be offered at the John Brown Fire Engine House at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. Drink Your Apples: Cider Making, 1860 Date: October Location: Lower Town Description: Join living history staff and volunteers to make cider at White Hall Tavern on Potomac Street. This time-honored tradition produced the most popular 19th century beverage for man, woman, and child. Under Fire: The Battle of Bolivar Heights, 1862 Date: October Location: Bolivar Heights Battlefield Description: Artillery crew demonstrate the might and intimidation of field artillery during the town's surrender to Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson.

9 Woman s Club Raffles Off House Full of Furniture!

The tickets are $5 apiece or $20 for 5 tickets.

dollhouse. The drawing for the dollhouse will be held on November 30.

9 9 Woman s Club Raffles Off House Full of Furniture! The Woman s Club of the Harpers Ferry District is raffling off a beautiful dollhouse that comes fully furnished! The tickets are $5 apiece or $20 for 5 tickets. There is a cap on the number of tickets sold - no more than 300 tickets will be sold, increasing everyone s chances of winning the dollhouse. The drawing for the dollhouse will be held on November 30. The dollhouse was donated by Betsy Bainbridge and Steve Ramberg to the Woman s Club. The money from the raffle tickets will support the many charitable contributions that the Woman s Club makes to good causes inside and outside of Jefferson County. If you would like to buy raffle tickets, please call Laurel Drake at or her at lgdrake77@hotmail.com.

Harpers Ferry Community Newsletter September 2016 Volume 13 Issue 5

Harpers Ferry Community Newsletter September 2016 Volume 13 Issue 5 Bike Your Park Day at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park When: Saturday, September 24, 2016, 9 am - 2 pm (9/24 is a fee-free day