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History
163rd anniversary of John Brown’s Raid at Harpers Ferry marks historic uprising
John Brown’s fort.
Courtesy photo
Experience John Brown’s Raid through the stories of U.S. Marines, townspeople, formerly enslaved men and women and John Brown himself on Oct. 15 and 16 at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Join park staff and living-history volunteers of the U.S. Marine Corps Historical Company for “At All Times Ready,” an interpretive presentation of how the raid unfolded and transformed Harpers Ferry into a key site in American civil rights history.
This program will begin in historic Lower Town on The Green and end at the U.S. Armory Fire Engine House (John Brown’s Fort) each day at 1 and 3 p.m.
On Oct. 16, 1859, fiery abolitionist John Brown and 21 fellow raiders attacked the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry in what was at that time Virginia, the largest slave-holding state in the Union. Brown hoped to use armory weapons to equip a liberating army that would spark uprisings against slavery and protect those escaping enslavement. Although the failed raid ended two days later with Brown’s capture by Marines, it electrified the country. John Brown’s Raid polarized the country’s slavery and anti-slavery factions and political parties, even influencing the 1860 presidential election and sparking political violence when Abraham Lincoln was elected president.
John Brown’s Raid stands as one of the flash points that ignited the Civil War. His complex legacy continues to influence American conversations on slavery, race and the role of force in fighting injustice.
For more information, visit nps.gov/hafe.
The William F. Moran Jr. Museum & Foundation, located in Middletown, is ready to open its new facility, the W.F. Moran Bladesmith & Artisan Academy, to the public.
The project cost over $1 million.
Following the annual All-Forged Knife Show & Auction on Oct. 15, the W.F. Moran Bladesmith & Artisan Academy grand opening and ribbon cutting will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 16 at 7304 Hollow Road, Middletown. Guests can tour the new stateof-the-art facility.
See williammoranmuseum.com for more information. The new W.F. Moran Bladesmith & Artisan Academy in Middletown.
Courtesy photo
