Lost History Hike of Harpers Ferry & Frederick Douglass

Enjoy a new walking tour experience through the historic streets of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, its principal attractions and the former campus of Storer College, established in 1867.

Learn more about the enduring relationship and friendship of John Brown and Frederick Douglass, John Brown's raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1859 and the subsequent visits Douglass made to Harpers Ferry during his support and service to Storer College, West Virginia's first historically Black college.

Learn about the lost history of the varied connections of Frederick Douglass and members of his family to Harpers Ferry and the groundbreaking achievements of graduates of Storer whom Douglass worked alongside within the region and nationally. Additionally, learn about the lost history of the founding of Storer College that is not currently told and presented by existing historic interpretation, as well as the early support offered by Frederick Douglass and his network of political connections and philanthropists. Learn about the connections of Storer College to Howard University in Washington, D.C. and other HBCUs in West Virginia and the region.

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Walking tour will start at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and proceed to the Hilltop House Anthony Hall on the former campus of Storer College, where Douglass delivered a famous address on John Brown, Lockwood House, Harper Cemetery, Jefferson Rock, John Brown's Fort, 1894 B&O train station and other landmarks.

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• Tour will be limited in size; please sign up to confirm attendance.
• Photography is encouraged; will be visiting several historic sites and panoramic views.
• Hike includes off-road walking, stairs and considerable hills. Total walk is nearly 3 miles. Please bring liquids and make appropriate accommodations to the weather conditions.
• Harpers Ferry is open for business and following the tour your local patronage is encouraged.
• No bathroom access.
• Dogs welcomed.

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** Directions and Parking information ** ->

**There are two large FREE parking lots on Filmore Street, near the corner with Zachary Taylor Street and behind the Curtis Freewill Baptist Church. **

** Plan your visit ** -> https://www.nps.gov/hafe/planyourvisit/index.htm

** West Virginia Tourism - Harpers Ferry **-> https://wvtourism.com/harpers-ferry-national-park/

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TOUR LEADER

John Muller, author of Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.: The Lion of Anacostia (2012) and Mark Twain in Washington, D.C.: The Adventures of a Capital Correspondent (2013) is currently at work on a book about the lost history of Frederick Douglass on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Muller has presented widely throughout the DC-Baltimore metropolitan area at venues including the Library of Congress, Newseum, Politics and Prose, American Library in Paris and local universities. As well, in the past two years he has presented on the "Lost History" of Frederick Douglass in Baltimore, Cambridge, Centreville, Cumberland, Denton, Easton, Frederick, Frostburg, Hagerstown, Salisbury, St. Michaels and other local cities and towns throughout the state of Maryland.

Muller has been featured on C-SPAN’s BookTV and C-SPAN’s American History TV, as well as in the pages of the Baltimore Sun, Cumberland Times-News, Spirit of Jefferson, Star Democrat, Washington Post and the airwaves of WDVM (Hagerstown) NBC4 (Washington), WPFW, WAMU, WYPR, Delmarva Public Radio and West Virginia Public Broadcasting.