Confluence: Harpers Ferry as Destiny

by Dennis E. Frye, Catherine Magi Oliver

"Born as a gateway though the Blue ridge Mountains, Harpers Ferry has long been a gathering point of the American story. From explorers and innovators to warriors and reformers, passionate souls with wildly diverse causes have flowed again and again into this tiny village, shaping the town--and, in many cases, the country.

Focusing on personal, human experiences recorded in journals, letters, and other documents, Confluence: Harpers Ferry as Destiny offers a view of Harpers Ferry history that is both sweeping and intimate. Come: Discover the national dramas that have converged at Harpers Ferry. Slavery and the quest for freedom. War, expansion, and revolution. Natural disaster upon natural disaster, and the enduring human spirit that has refused to relinquish hope.

Published in honor of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park’s 75th anniversary, Confluence also includes perspective on the rebirth of this war- and flood-ravaged town as a national park. Under the stewardship of NPS, Harpers Ferry has continued to evolve, continued to reveal new stories.

What will you find at the Confluence?"

225 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Dennis E. Frye is the former Chief Historian at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and past president of a national battlefield preservation organization that is today's Civil War Preservation Trust. Dennis was raised only a few miles from Harper’s Ferry and Antietam, and he grew up in the shadow of South Mountain.

Dennis has written over 50 articles and four books on the war, his latest entitled "Antietam Revealed." He has served as a battlefield guide for National Geographic, the Smithsonian, major universities, and Civil War Round Tables across the country. He has appeared on the History Channel’s Civil War Journal and Ken Burn’s Civil War series. Dennis also worked as Associate Producer and historical consultant for the movie "Gods and Generals".

Reviews

[Jan Fitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absorbing, hard to put down, the history of the area, especially John Brown. I live close by, but anyone would be interested about the detailed information about John Brown and the Civil War.

[Sandra Oldfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great visual history of the arc of this amazing town in West Virginia. I especially enjoyed the information about the Storer School which was new to me.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling review of the John Brown raid on Harpers Ferry, as well as many other interesting facts about this small village at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. Engaging to me because I lived there as a child.