THE GOVERNMENT NEWS DESKPERMANENT NPS STORY ARCHIVE
Organized by publication date and destination. Each story retains its permanent State & Nation address and official NPS source.
You don’t have to travel far to find spectacular fall color. National parks across the Washington, D.C., region offer countless ways to experience autumn, from mountain trails and Potomac River views to historic battlefields, urban forests and the National Mall.
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Harpers Ferry National Historical Park will mark the 167th anniversary of John Brown’s 1859 raid on the U.S. Armory with three public programs in October exploring the people, events and consequences of the raid.
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As the nation continues to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the National Park Service sites across the National Capital Area are inviting visitors to explore the region’s rich military history and the people and events that shaped the country. Throughout September, living history programs, artillery demonstrations, ranger-guided hikes and other events will connect visitors with stories spanning from 1775 through World War II.
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Step into the history as Harpers Ferry National Historical Park commemorates the 164th anniversary of the Battle of Harpers Ferry with four days of special programs from September 12–15, 2026. Programs explore the people and events surrounding the battle, which resulted in the largest surrender of U.S. troops until World War II, as well as the battle’s broader implications.
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The National Park Service is excited to welcome visitors to celebrate National Park Week from Saturday, August 22 through Sunday, August 30, as dozens of sites across the region mark the 2026 theme, “Celebrate America’s Story,” highlighting the 250th anniversary of American independence and recognizing our shared American heritage of national parks.
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Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the Appalachian Chamber Music Festival invite the public to a dynamic, free outdoor concert on Friday, August 7, at 7:00 p.m., celebrating two iconic forces in American music. Blending the swing innovations of Don Redman with the timeless brilliance of George Gershwin, festival musicians and the Howard Burns Quartet will bring an energetic fusion of jazz and classical traditions to the historic Storer College lawn as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary festivities.
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On Saturday, June 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the park will host “Harpers Ferry’s Impact on the Civil War,” a special day that connects visitors to the people and events that shaped the outcome of the Civil War and the nation’s long journey toward freedom.
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Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) invites you to join “John Brown and Frederick Douglass: A Legacy of Freedom” on Saturday, May 30, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Discover the powerful connection between Harpers Ferry and two influential abolitionists who shared a commitment to ending slavery, but pursued different paths in their fight for freedom in the United States.
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Harpers Ferry National Historical Park invites visitors to join our 250th anniversary program, Defend and Protect: Arming the American Soldier on Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This special event explores the weapons and technology produced at the Harpers Ferry Armory from the 1790s to 1861 and how these innovations shaped the nation and the world.
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The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking ideas for potential uses of historic Cook Hall. The NPS invites individuals, educational institutions, government agencies, nonprofit and for-profit organizations to share their ideas by responding to a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI).
Official NPS sourceIn 2026, the park, the Harpers Ferry Park Association, and partners will host a series of public programs and events that bring these stories to life and connect them to the choices and responsibilities that shape our shared future. We invite you to join us for one event or many and experience how this small town helped shape the course of American history, then and now.
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service will begin construction on a new stairway connecting the Goodloe Byron Memorial Footbridge (Byron Bridge) to the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park towpath at mile 60.6.
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Join Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) on Friday, Aug. 8, to celebrate the legacy of jazz legend and Storer College alumnus Don Redman. The Appalachian Chamber Music Festival string musicians will collaborate with the Howard Burns Quartet to perform original arrangements of some of Redman’s most celebrated jazz works. The event begins at 7 p.m. on the lawn by the Mather Training Center.
Official NPS sourceVenison donations from national parks of the National Capital Region in 2025.
Official NPS sourceHarpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) will move forward with plans to demolish five structures in a severe state of disrepair beginning January 21. The Henkle Farm House buildings pose a serious safety hazard to visitors and staff.
Official NPS source
Get into the holiday spirit at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park! Dec. 6 through Dec. 8 the park will host a series of family-friendly, immersive activities and demonstrations in historic Lower Town. All activities are set against the backdrop of Harpers Ferry in 1864, when the U.S. Army had transformed the town into a major supply and logistics center during the Civil War.
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service is hosting special events commemorating abolitionist John Brown’s attempt to seize weapons from the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry in an effort to spark an anti-slavery uprising.
Official NPS sourceA new National Park Service report shows that 427,317 visitors to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) in 2023 spent $23.8 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 319 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $37.7 million.
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Join Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) on Sunday, Aug. 11 as we commemorate the legacy of the Niagara Movement and the lasting impact on civil rights, music and society. This event starts at 11 a.m. and will feature several educational programs and the Appalachian Chamber Music Festival’s “Voices of the Niagara Movement” concert at 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, though park entry fees or a valid park pass apply.
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the history of Harpers Ferry through an ongoing series of presentations from Harpers Ferry National Historical Park’s (NHP) cultural resource specialist and archaeologist, Darlene Hassler. This series focuses on archaeology at the park throughout multiple time periods and comes directly from the scientist’s experiences. Presentations will begin at 2 p.m. in historic Lower Town, Harpers Ferry NHP. Please inquire at the Visitor Center for the exact location.
Official NPS sourceEight national parks in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia have concluded this year’s annual operations to reduce overabundant white-tailed deer. These parks donated more than 13,000 pounds of venison to local nonprofit organizations that will serve approximately 55,000 meals to families in need.
Official NPS sourceDuring recent white-tailed deer reduction operations and subsequent disease sampling at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, two deer tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Both animals were from the Jefferson County, West Virginia portion of the park. This is the first CWD-positive detection at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
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Tanya Gossett has been selected to serve as the new superintendent for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. She currently serves as the associate regional director for Resource Stewardship and Science for the National Park Service (NPS) National Capital Region. Gossett begins her new role May 19.
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Portions of climbing areas on Maryland Heights will close from February 15-July 31 to protect peregrine falcon nesting sites. UPDATE: this year's peregrine chick has developed soon enough to safely remove the closure early. All Maryland Heights closed areas are open as of 6/27/24.
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Due to potentially hazardous conditions during rockslide stabilization work along US 340, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park will temporarily close a portion of the Loudoun Heights Trail, certain climbing routes, and a section of river shoreline starting Sept. 12. The temporary closures will continue for the duration of the work, which is expected to last 90 days.
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service (NPS) invites public review of the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the demolition of five structures associated with the Henkle farmstead at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. You’re invited to submit your feedback from Sept. 6 through Sept. 22, 2023.
Official NPS sourceThree peregrine falcon chicks successfully took their first flights from the cliffs of Maryland Heights at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) this spring. This is the third consecutive, documented fledging of peregrine falcons since the 1950s from this historic breeding site. This is also the first time in over 70 years that each chick has survived to this milestone.
Official NPS sourceAs Juneteenth National Independence Day approaches, the National Park Service (NPS) invites you to celebrate this important holiday at nearby national parks. National parks across the Washington, D.C. area will host events commemorating the long, hard road to freedom for African Americans in the United States.
Official NPS sourceSeven national parks in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia have concluded this year’s annual operations to reduce overabundant white-tailed deer. These parks donated more than 12,000 pounds of venison to local nonprofit organizations that will serve approximately 48,000 meals to families in need.
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Join national parks in the D.C. area for National Park Week! This annual celebration of the more than 400 national parks across the country starts April 22.
Official NPS sourceHarpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) will begin a three-month pilot for cashless entrance fee collection starting April 15. The park anticipates that moving to a cashless system will allow the park to be a better steward of visitor dollars by reducing transaction times, reducing the amount of time park staff spend managing cash, improving accountability and reducing the chances of errors.
Official NPS sourceMost forests in eastern United States national parks are at risk due to browsing by overabundant white-tailed deer and crowding by invasive plants, according to a National Park Service (NPS) study published in the journal Ecological Applications.
Official NPS source
The National Park Service (NPS) will begin construction on the Level 33 dry-laid stone wall just across the Potomac River from Harpers Ferry, WV this March.
Official NPS sourceA pair of peregrine falcons have again returned to nest on Maryland Heights in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. To provide the peregrine falcons adequate space for nesting, the National Park Service (NPS) will again close portions of Maryland Heights from Feb. 15 to July 31, 2023. All trails on Maryland Heights and the Union Walls climbing area will remain open. Closed areas will be clearly marked with signs and fencing.
Official NPS sourceCatoctin Mountain Park, Antietam and Monocacy national battlefields, Manassas National Battlefield Park, and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Harpers Ferry national historical parks will conduct deer management operations in 2023 to protect and restore native plants, promote healthy and diverse forests, and preserve historic landscapes. Operations will take place from Jan. 30 to April 30, 2023.
Official NPS sourceExperience a Union-garrisoned town during the 1864 Christmas season in “Captain Flagg’s US Quartermaster City: Prospects of Peace.” Join the conversation as park staff and living history volunteers portraying Federal soldiers and civilian workers talk about the town’s transformation from war-torn community to successful war machine for Union General Philip Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Encounter a tempered holiday celebration overshadowed by realities of war.
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This November, Fall 2022 Artist-in-Residence Nancy Cook will lead two free creative writing workshops that explore the intersection of geography, history and culture at Harpers Ferry.
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Experience John Brown’s Raid through the stories of US Marines, townspeople, formerly enslaved men and women and John Brown on Oct. 15 and 16 at Harpers Ferry. Join park-staff and living-history volunteers of the US Marine Corps Historical Company for “At All Times Ready,” an interpretive presentation of how the raid unfolded, transforming 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 US Armory Fire Engine House (John Brown’s Fort) each day at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
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Last seen twenty years ago, Allegheny woodrats were rediscovered this summer in the rocky forests of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Wildlife biologists documented both adults and young of this furry species.
Official NPS sourceJoin Harpers Ferry NHP and the Storer College National Alumni Association on Oct. 2 from 3 to 5 p.m. as we honor the legacy of Storer College with special programming where the college was established 155 years ago.
Official NPS sourceA new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 6,675,119 visitors to national parks in Maryland spent $246.6 million in the state in 2021. That spending resulted in 2,940 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $344.3 million.
Official NPS sourceA new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 2,187,125 visitors to national parks in West Virginia spent $108.9 million in the state in 2021. That spending resulted in 1,447 jobs and had a cumulative benefit to the state economy of $131 million.
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For the second consecutive year, peregrine falcon chicks have successfully fledged and are learning to fly at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP). Out of four hatchlings, three chicks survived the vulnerable nestling phase and have entered the fledging phase after they developed feathers enabling them to fly. Monitoring program volunteers and park staff have spotted the three fledglings soaring around Maryland Heights with their attentive parents.
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On June 13, 2022, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) will transition to digital, cashless payment of park entrance fees in the Lower Town Train Station parking lot. Visitors will be able to purchase park entrance passes on the park website before their visit or upon arrival at the park.
Official NPS sourceAfter reviewing and considering public comments and safety concerns, the National Park Service (NPS) has permanently closed the Maryland Heights parking areas at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP).
Official NPS source
Come commemorate Memorial Day at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park on Saturday, May 28, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the presentation of “Defend and Protect: Arming the American Soldier.”
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On Monday, April 25, 2022, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) will begin removing worm fencing from the Murphy-Chambers Farm section of the park. Although a common feature on preserved Civil War battlefields, there is no evidence of worm fencing at Murphy-Chambers Farm in either historical photos or the records from the Chambers family. Removing this fencing is an important step in returning this area to the way it looked from the Civil War period into the early twentieth century.
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The National Park Service (NPS), the National Park Trust, Our Military Kids, Trout Unlimited, and KBP Foods partnered this past weekend to bring twelve children of military personnel and their families to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) for a day of fishing on the banks of the iconic Shenandoah River.
Official NPS sourceDuring recent, routine white-tailed deer management operations and subsequent disease sampling at Catoctin Mountain Park, Rock Creek Park, Monocacy National Battlefield and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Pennsylvania State University researchers found positive results for SARS-CoV2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) in the park deer population.
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After raising the first successful fledgling at Harpers Ferry in 70 years, a pair of peregrine falcons have returned once again to nest on Maryland Heights in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. To provide the peregrine falcons adequate space for nesting, the National Park Service (NPS) will close portions of Maryland Heights from Feb. 16 to July 29, 2022.
Official NPS sourceAfter careful consideration, the National Park Service (NPS) is proposing to permanently close the Maryland Heights parking areas to ensure the safety of visitors, staff, local emergency services personnel and residents.
Official NPS sourceCatoctin Mountain Park, Antietam and Monocacy national battlefields, and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Harpers Ferry national historical parks will conduct deer management operations in 2022 to protect and restore native plants, promote healthy and diverse forests, and preserve historic landscapes.
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This October, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the Harpers Ferry Park Association will host Kathleen Ernst as an Artist-in-Residence. Ernst is a best-selling author of award-winning mysteries, historical fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
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