The Foundation unites two towns with a vision of inspiring citizens & visitors with our history, beauty, diversity & hospitality.
(16)
Our initiatives focus on historic preservation, promotion & beautification of our towns for the enjoyment & benefit of all. The Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Historic Town Foundation is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes, and to promote historical, scientific, educational, interpretive and economic activities of the Town of Harpers Ferry for the inspirati
on and benefit of the people of the United States as provided for in the Act of August 25, 1916 (16 USC Sec. 1 et seq) as amended and supplemented, including the Act of August 21, 1961 (75 Stat 586). Its activities may include, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code. No part of the net earnings or income or funds of the Foundation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the Foundation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth above. Upon dissolution of the Foundation, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future Federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the Federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. As part of its organization and maintenance of civic engagement, the Foundation will establish and maintain a partnership and cooperative agreement with the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
Be sure and check out all the fun photos at the end of the blog!
Foundation members proudly marched for the first time in the 30th annual Jefferson County African American Culture and Heritage Festival parade on August 17 with our First Zion float front ...
This great group of volunteers for DC area nonprofits helped support rehabilitation of First Zion today by scheduling a private walk-n-talk to learn about Harpers Ferry Black Heritage. Thanks so much!
Doesn't our church replica on the parade float look great?
Getting ready to represent the Foundation in today’s African American Heritage Festival parade!
Delores Jackson Foster and her brother Daniel Jackson Jr. are both featured speakers at the Harpers Ferry Black Heritage guided walking tour this Saturday at 10 am. Get the link for tickets in our event page!
In 1866, Page Jackson High School became the first publicly funded school for African Americans students in Jefferson County. The school was symbolic for African Americans before integration.
The original colored glass windows of the First Zion sanctuary are currently being refurbished by a local master craftsman. We’ve reused the original glass panes where possible and, for panes that were broken or missing, we found replacement glass matching the texture and color of the original.
Photo by Storm DeConstanzo.
Black churches span the Mountain State, from Harpers Ferry to Charleston. But maintaining these sites is a matter of preserving both architecture and culture.
First Zion Baptist Church in Harpers Ferry was recently featured by West Virginia Public Broadcasting!
First Zion was built by Black residents of Harpers Ferry in 1894 and served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. It closed just shy of its 100th birthday and fell into disrepair in the following years until it was purchased by Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Historic Town Foundation, a nonprofit that continues the work to preserve the historic building.
In 2017, the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia listed First Zion Baptist Church on the West Virginia Endangered Properties List. The project received a Historic Preservation Microloan from PAWV in 2020 to help the nonprofit owner of the building refinance its mortgage.
In 2024, Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Historic Town Foundation was granted $100,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund to continue the preservation work necessary to save the church building.
"With the new grant, Pechuekonis said her organization hopes to transform the broken-down building into a community center or religious institution that pays homage to local Black history."
This is what's possible when a community comes together to save the places that matter.
Read the article at https://wvpublic.org/preserving-black-churches-cultural-architectural-history-in-w-va/
Our efforts were highlighted in this great segment on WVPB radio!
Black churches span the Mountain State, from Harpers Ferry to Charleston. But maintaining these sites is a matter of preserving both architecture and culture.
Our May 15 community charette to gather ideas and feedback on the rehabilitation of First Zion Church was a wonderful success. We were so thrilled with the number of neighbors who were interested in our project and wanted to share their thoughts about it. Thanks to everyone who attended! There's still time to complete our online survey. Use this link: https://forms.gle/t6HGHcZfiRx4oZTc6
The Board will be working as we develop plans over the next few months to incorporate this helpful input and find creative solutions to the concerns expressed.
A look back at First Zion's History...
The congregation of worshippers known as First Zion Baptist Church first planted their roots in Harpers Ferry in the early 1890s, having made their way over from Virginia. John Henry Napper, known for his “great zeal for serving God” was one of the church’s co-founders and first deacons. The s...
Congratulations to the 2024 recipient of our Historic Home Preservation Award!
The rehabilitation of a nineteenth-century home in Harpers Ferry has been recognized with an Excellence in Preservation Award by the Harpers Ferry – Bolivar Historic Town Foundation.
The Flip-Flop Kickoff is right around the corner on April 19-21! This annual event provides a great opportunity to learn about alternative thru-hikes and connect with other outdoor enthusiasts. With hiking workshops and a send-off breakfast for flip-floppers, the Flip-Flop Kickoff is a great excuse to visit Harpers Ferry in the spring, a scenic and historic town in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Learn more about upcoming events at appalachiantrail.org/events
Harpers Ferry fans may be interested...
PRESS RELEASE
The Return of John Brown: Legendary Abolitionist Comes Back to Life in New Musical
Contact: Virginia Rodino
[email protected]
202-465-0918
For Immediate Release: March 28, 2024
In a staged reading of this new musical John Brown, the first person in the nation executed for treason, in 1859, mysteriously climbs out of his grave in Virginia, where he was hanged, into the present, only to be rearrested and threatened with another hanging. See https://www.thereturnofjohnbrown.com/ to buy tix and for more detailed information.
As his trial unwinds, the past and the present merge as Brown’s inspiring story is told through humor, music, mystery, and drama – depicting a feverishly charged moment in history that reverberates in today’s political climate. As the plot twists, Brown’s escape plans lead to an unexpected alliance with White and Black farmers hoping to save their land from the Smoke and Mirrors pipeline company and its CEO, King Louie.
The playwright, Gene Bruskin, spent 45 years as a labor union organizer and has written three musicals for and about working-class people since his retirement, “This musical tale connects yesterday’s battles to the need to challenge the enduring destructiveness of racism today.”
The first show will debut April 26, 7:30 pm at Mt Zion United Methodist, 3050 liberty Heights Ave, in Baltimore. Act II Ministry, Teaching for Change and the Labor Heritage Foundation are co-sponsors of this staged reading. On April 27, 7pm: Teaching for Change and the Labor Heritage Foundation are co-sponsors of a second reading at the MLK Library, 901 G St, NW, Washington DC.
The next weekend THERE WILL BE TWO SPECIAL PERFORMANCES on May 4 and May 5, 1pm, at the historic Kennedy Farm, 2406 Chestnut Grove Rd, Sharpsburg, MD 21782. This is the Harpers Ferry, WV area location where John Brown staged his famous anti-slavery raid.
Wednesday, May 15, 6:30 pm
Bolivar Community Center
Come learn about the First Zion Church rehabilitation project and share your thoughts and ideas about how the building should be used to serve our community!
Please take our survey, whether you can attend or not:
https://forms.gle/kqz5UePXF2y7gw9a8
The Foundation unites two towns with a vision of inspiring citizens & visitors with our history, beau
Both Bolivar and Harpers Ferry have passed resolutions to honor this special lady.
We are so pleased to announce that both Bolivar and Harpers Ferry have officially proclaimed January 15 to be Agnes May Greene Twyman Day. Agnes Twyman was born on January 15, 1924 and passed away on January 15, 2024, her 100th Birthday. For these 100 years, Ms. Twyman was a special member of our co...
In case you missed it, we learned at the beginning of January that the Foundation is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation!
Here's an opportunity to learn some great Harpers Ferry history, and two of our Foundation board members are playing significant roles: Delores Foster on the panel and Lynn Pechuekonis as moderator.
Storer College Panel Discussion with Alumni & Experts
Saturday, Feb. 3, 12 noon.
Stephen T. Mather Training Center
In its 88 years of existence, from the end of the Civil War to the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, Storer College enriched the lives of countless students and the Harpers Ferry community. In this program, hear the personal stories of Storer alumni and those connected to the school's founders, teachers, and students. What did it take to get this school started? What was it like to be a student on the Storer campus? What were the real reasons the school shuttered in 1955? And what was the fate of those students who had yet to graduate?
Moderated by Lynn Pechuekonis, author of "Man of Sterling Worth: Professor William A. Saunders of Storer College" (Harpers Ferry Park Association, 2022).
Light refreshments will be served.
Storer College publications and collectibles will be available for purchase.
Sponsored by Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Stephen T. Mather Training Center,
Harpers Ferry Park Association, Jefferson County WV NAACP, and Storer College National Alumni Association. For more information call 304-535-6029 or email [email protected]
Storer College Panel Discussion with Alumni & Experts
Saturday, Feb. 3, 12 noon.
Stephen T. Mather Training Center
In its 88 years of existence, from the end of the Civil War to the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, Storer College enriched the lives of countless students and the Harpers Ferry community. In this program, hear the personal stories of Storer alumni and those connected to the school's founders, teachers, and students. What did it take to get this school started? What was it like to be a student on the Storer campus? What were the real reasons the school shuttered in 1955? And what was the fate of those students who had yet to graduate?
Moderated by Lynn Pechuekonis, author of "Man of Sterling Worth: Professor William A. Saunders of Storer College" (Harpers Ferry Park Association, 2022).
Light refreshments will be served.
Storer College publications and collectibles will be available for purchase.
Sponsored by Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Stephen T. Mather Training Center,
Harpers Ferry Park Association, Jefferson County WV NAACP, and Storer College National Alumni Association. For more information call 304-535-6029 or email [email protected].
A big thank you to the Weis store in Ranson and the Food Lion in Charles Town for in-kind donations to our Frostyfest Cocoa Crawl event. Be sure to show your appreciation by giving them your business!
Doesn't this look like fun?! Be sure and include Rockhaven B&B on your cocoa crawl this weekend and help support the Foundation!!
Harpers Ferry Hot Cocoa Crawl starts this Saturday, Jan 27th!☕️❄️
Experience all the delicious cocoa offerings that local merchants have to offer by visiting businesses with the pin-drop icon in their window or front door!
Click here for full list: https://wherealmostheavenbegins.com/index.php?p=blog/2024-cocoa-crawl
*Charges for cocoa creations are subject to the discretion of the individual businesses.
Make sure you stop at Rockhaven B&B on your Frostyfest Cocoa Crawl for gourmet hot chocolate with toppings bar in a cozy, relaxing home setting. Best of all, proceeds will support the Foundation and our efforts to rehab First Zion Church.
$5 donation per person ages 5 and up. Includes a cup of hot cocoa or friendship tea plus cookies. Nondairy cocoa option available.
Saturday and Sunday, January 27-28, 10am-4pm.
900 Fillmore St, Harpers Ferry
For more info see the event "Harpers Ferry Hot Cocoa Crawl"
https://www.facebook.com/events/731483225604168?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D
The Foundation unites two towns with a vision of inspiring citizens & visitors with our history, beau
The National Trust's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has invested $3.9 million in grants to 31 historic Black churches across the United States, acknowledging these institutions' widespread impact on society.
Make sure you stop at Rockhaven B&B on your Frostyfest Cocoa Crawl for gourmet hot chocolate in a cozy, relaxing home setting. Best of all, proceeds will support the Foundation and our efforts to rehab First Zion Church.
Saturday and Sunday, January 27-28, 10am-4pm.
900 Fillmore St, Harpers Ferry
For more info see the event "Harpers Ferry Hot Cocoa Crawl"
https://www.facebook.com/events/731483225604168?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D
The Foundation unites two towns with a vision of inspiring citizens & visitors with our history, beau
887 Washington Street
Harpers Ferry, WV
25425
| Monday | 9am - 1pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 1pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 1pm |
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Historic Town Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Historic Town Foundation:
Rockhaven B&B is ready to welcome visitors for the Holiday Tour of Historic Homes on Saturday! Tickets $20, on sale at 1030 W. Ridge St in Harpers Ferry beginning at 10pm.
Harpers Ferry Holiday Tour of Historic Homes! December 9, 10am to 4 pm More info at https://historicharpersferry.org/.../2023-holiday.../
These hot deals will warm you up this morning! Open until 2 pm!
