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The Foundation bids farewell to our steadfast friend and mentor, Betsy Bainbridge. After serving as the director of Harpers Ferry Main Street, Betsy seamlessly transitioned to board member for the Foundation. She was an early leader in the Trail and Town Alliance, and represented Harpers Ferry on the Canal Town Partnership. Betsy was generous with her time and talents, hosting—along with her husband Steve—memorable Foundation fundraising dinners in…

At last Tuesday evening’s Annual Membership Meeting, the Foundation added a new category alongside its annual Historic Preservation Award.  For the first time, we presented an award recognizing new construction that is appropriately sensitive to its historic neighborhood.

The inaugural award went to Laurel Ziemianski for her new 1,700 -square-foot home at 1150  West Ridge Street in Harpers Ferry.

Because Laurel has been a member of the community working with the…

First Zion Phase 1 Complete!

We are excited for you to see how great First Zion looks at the culmination of Phase 1 exterior preservation! Most of this work was funded by a $100,000 grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. We are planning a traditional whitewash on the rubble stone foundation and have a beautiful new ground-level…

Eddie and Mary Love have been honored by the Harpers Ferry–Bolivar Historic Town Foundation for their exemplary rehabilitation of 970 Washington Street in Harpers Ferry, now home to the Appalachian Snail Market and Café.

Their work transformed the prominent structure at the town’s entrance by reimagining it as three distinct storefronts rather than a single oversized façade. The Loves restored the original 1906 center section to its historic appearance, uncovering…

Choir rehearsals, Christmas plays, Easter specials, vacation Bible school, ladies tea parties, repasts after funerals—John Wesley United Methodist Church was alive with activity in the 1950s and 60s. Cousins Ann Reeler, Rhonda Reeler Smith, and Sharon Spriggs say they spent countless hours there during their youth in 1960s and early 70s.

They have many fond memories of John Wesley Church as a family-oriented gathering place with lots of laughing…

Alfred “Al” Alsdorf, founding chair of the Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Historic Town Foundation and a tireless advocate for the preservation and vitality of the community, passed away on January 19, 2026, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to shape the towns for generations.

The Foundation itself was created in 2003 by Jim Addy. At that time, Al was leading the local Main Street group. Recognizing that Harpers Ferry was too…

In 1890 an enterprising Black couple bought a prized plot of land in Harpers Ferry and built an incredibly successful summer resort hotel and restaurant serving an exclusively White clientele. It was extremely popular with the Washington-Baltimore crowd for the 35 years it was owned by the Lovetts. After they sold it in 1926, the hotel lived on through subsequent owners until 2008, when it was closed due to…

The rehabilitation of a nineteenth-century home in Bolivar has been recognized with an Excellence in Preservation Award by the Harpers Ferry – Bolivar Historic Town Foundation. The annual award in 2025 highlights the work of Adam Shively and Lesa Shively, owners of Shively Family Properties LLC for their contribution to maintaining and enhancing the architectural, historical, and cultural heritage of our community. His preservation work on the exterior of…

by Lynn Pechuekonis, Chair

There was an era when the great Frederick Douglass walked the streets of Harpers Ferry with surprising frequency.

Our town is so small that when I learn about a historical figure visiting here, it feels like a big deal — almost personal. I’ve recently been learning about Frederick Douglass’s visits here.  Harpers Ferry was a place of deep historical significance to him, a place where he could…