Murphy Farm at Harpers Ferry Safe From Developers
By Deborah Fitts
December 2002

HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. - The historic Murphy Farm at Harpers Ferry, a 99-acre tract that was being proposed for 188 homes, will be purchased for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park by the non-profit Trust for Public Land (TPL).

" This is huge for the fans of Civil War history," declared park superintendent Don Campbell. The purchase price will probably not be made known for several months, according to TPL spokesman Susan Clark. She said, however, that the family has agreed to abandon the proposed development and sell the land to become part of the park. Murphy Farm, at the south end of Bolivar Heights, was the scene of the final, successful, Confederate assault of the Sept. 13-15, 1862, siege of Harpers Ferry. Three decades later, when John Brown's "fort" was temporarily sited on the property, it was the focus of a civil-rights pilgrimage by African-American leaders which led to the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Campbell hailed the efforts of local and national groups that stubbornly fought the "Murphy's Landing" develop-ment plan step by step. Critics of the project said the homes, and a looming water tower to serve them, would have severely impacted the historic viewshed.

" It's been a long struggle, and that's what it's all about," said Campbell." It was a matter of persevering, and the belief that everyone held that it could be protected. That sort of belief carried the day."

Murphy family descendants several years ago sought to sell their farm, which abuts the park, to the National Park Service (NPS). But it was early in the battlefield-preservation movement, and Congress had no interest.

The family eventually embraced the development option. But times changed. Congress approved $2 million in fiscal year 2000 for land acquisition at Harpers Ferry.

" It's been a tightrope walk all the way," Campbell said. "The family has gone through a metamorphosis to come to the conclusion not to develop the property, but to preserve it as part of the history of our nation."

NPS land-acquisition staff negotiated with Murphy family members Josephine Murphy-Curtis and Karen Dixon Fuller to reach a price for the farm, according to Campbell. Clark said TPL's role was as a" facilitator." The funds will likely go directly from NPS to the family.

The 99 acres overlooking the Shenandoah River has been a working farm since Alexander Murphy bought the property in 1869. TPL announced the planned purchase Oct. 28, timed to coincide with an NPS notice in the Federal Register signaling to Congress the park's intent to buy the Murphy Farm and two other properties. The others are a 56-acre tract on Schoolhouse Ridge (see related story) and a 4-acre parcel, also on Bolivar Heights abutting the park, which was purchased some time ago to prevent the construction of three homes.

The park, now at 2345 acres, can add 159 acres before it reaches a boundary "ceiling" imposed by Congress. The three additions to the park are considered "minor boundary adjustments" and do not require congressional approval. The three properties will bring the park to the ceiling.

The Schoolhouse Ridge property being acquired by the Civil War Preservation Trust (see related story) totals 232 acres. Adding the remainder to the park will require congressional approval of a boundary expansion. And that ap-proval is already being sought. At the request of Congress, the park began conducting public meetings a year and a half ago to determine local sentiment regarding expansion. Support proved strong, Campbell said, to add another 527 acres of battlefield "to complete the Civil War story," plus another 772 acres of land already federally owned.

TPL Senior Vice President Alan Front saluted the Murphy family for" preserving this remarkable property and its unique historic values for over a century."

Clark said TPL's involvement resulted through "a connection" between an individual at TPL and the landowners. "We reached out to the owners about a year ago," she said. TPL has helped protect more than 1.4 million acres of open space across the country since its founding in 1972.

The farm witnessed the 11th-hour attack by Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill that forced the surrender of the 12,000-man federal garrison at Harpers Ferry. Later, in 1895-1910, the farm served as the location of the Harpers Ferry engine house that abolitionist leader John Brown used in his abortive 1859 attempt to spark a slave uprising. The Brown fort was sent to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and, upon its return, Alexander Murphy deeded 5 acres to rebuild the structure on his farm. In 1906 W.E.B. DuBois and other leaders of the Niagara Move-ment, a predecessor of the NAACP, "made a barefoot pilgrimage" across the farm to the engine house, Clark said.

The engine house was eventually returned to the village of Harpers Ferry, where it is a key asset of the park. NAACP President Kweisi Mfume said his organization was "proud to support the preservation of the Murphy Farm," with its "extraordinary legacy in our nation's history." He added, "The Murphy Farm is freedom-fighters' land. It should be preserved, revered, to the benefit of all."

The family released a statement saying that the sale to the park was" a dream that every generation of the Murphy family has shared. We're extremely gratified that NPS recognizes the farm's significance to both Civil War and civil rights history."