The Niagara Movement Centennial at Harpers Ferry
In 2001, the 99-acre, privately-owned historic Murphy Farm at Harpers Ferry was threatened by plans for extensive development. Because of the property's significance, NPCA helped lead a broad coalition that prevented the construction of the proposed housing subdivision, and successfully fought to add the land to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The campaign to "Save Murphy Farm" was a textbook example of the way NPCA works with partners in communities all across the country, and with decision-makers in Washington, D.C., to protect, enhance, and preserve our National Park System for current and future generations.
On August 20, 2006, participants in the commemoration of the Niagara Movement Centennial will recreate the 1906 barefooted pilgrimage from Storer College to Murphy Farm — then the temporary site of "John Brown's Fort." Thanks to the successful efforts of the coalition to save Murphy Farm, participants will not have to walk through the backyards and driveways of a modern suburban subdivision. Instead, the Murphy Farm's beautiful, historic landscape retains its integrity as a place critical to Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's successful siege of Harpers Ferry in 1862, and as the place where a courageous group of black men and women paid tribute to John Brown, civil rights martyr, who sparked the war to complete the unfinished business of the American Revolution.
NPCA is pleased to cosponsor the Harpers Ferry Niagara Centennial Commemoration. We hope that you will take the time to learn about this important part of American history, and that you will join us in August as we remember Niagara and the triumph of the human spirit.
