Harper's Ferry

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0882898329

Harpers Ferry is a tenacioustown; battered and muddied by water and war, it refuses to quit. The site ofJohn Brown's infamous raid, which brought what the author considers the firstshots of the Civil War, Harpers Ferry also has stood floods, plague, invasion,assault, cannon fire, the Depression, Prohibition, and just plain bad luck.Despite having had far more than its share of disasters, this small WestVirginia hamlet survives.Harpers Ferry describes the endurance of a town split on theissue of secession, torn by the ravages of war, and constantly at the mercy oftwo of the nation's most unruly rivers. From its humble beginnings as the siteof Robert Harper's ferry business, to today's national historical park, authorRay Jones recounts the many tales of Harpers Ferry. Today, nearly one millionpeople visit it annually to see the little place with such a big story to tell.While living in nearby Reston, Virginia, Ray Jones wrote about Harpers Ferryfor Time-Life Books and Southern Living magazine. A highly talented historicalwriter, he has also been executive editor of several newspapers. Jones nowlives in Castine, Maine, where he is a publisher and free-lance writer.