New organization sets goal of preserving Harpers Ferry history, hopes to build its own historical and educational facility

by Kelli Boylen
freelance writer

With a goal of keeping local history alive, the Harpers Ferry Area Heritage Society (HFAHS) is organizing to preserve, educate and share Harpers Ferry area history, culture and lore. The HFAHS started as a committee of the Harpers Ferry Booster Club.
Bill Nation, a Harpers Ferry resident with a lifelong love of history, says some members of the Harpers Ferry Booster Club have been tossing around the idea of an educational and historical center for at least five years. The club boasts 150 members from all over the country.
The newly-elected HFAHS Board of Directors includes four officers and five other members. They include President Jane Hasek, Vice President Betty Palmer, Secretary Betty Steege, Treasurer Bill Nation and members Norm Delphey, Sheila Diggins, Denis Kuhens, Jim Olson and Ron Steege.
A “Harpers Ferry Area History Survey” was conducted in January of 2013 by the Booster Club to determine the interest and to seek input in the areas of focus and potential donors of artifacts and funding. More than 300 surveys were mailed out to the Harpers Ferry ZIP code post office boxes, city addresses and rural routes. About one-third of the surveys were returned. There were 59 percent of respondents in favor of the concept and 31 percent were not, and the remaining didn’t indicate.
Of those who responded, 61 percent were year-round residents and 29 percent were summer or part-time residents. Thirty-two of the respondents said they were willing to help, donate and/or be involved.
“A lot of people wanted to donate items,” said Nation. He noted that many said they had stories to share as well.
“We are moving ahead with great enthusiasm and activity to gather and acquire historical information and artifacts. This will include seeking a location, temporary or permanent, to display and store the historic items and give the volunteers a place to work,” says Hasek.
Thus far, the HFAHS has met twice. The organization is filing for 501(c)3 status with the State of Iowa. This will allow for donations to the project to be tax-deductible and make them eligible for more grant funding.
According to Hasek, the purpose of HFAHS is to:
(1) Preserve, educate and share Harpers Ferry area history, culture and lore which includes Harpers Ferry area residents, summer home residents, tourists and visitors on the Driftless Area Scenic Byway and The Great River Road National Scenic Byway;
(2) Provide genealogical services for the Harpers Ferry area including residents, alumni of the schools, and members of churches, organizations and civic groups;
(3) Support and conduct education, research and informational activities to increase public awareness of Harpers Ferry area history, heritage and the geology and archaeology of Harpers Ferry area and early settlements;
(4) Partner and/or collaborate with other groups, agencies of the area, state and nationally that support the purpose and goals of this organization.

COMMITTEES FORMING
The group has started to appoint committees to begin the process of gathering information. The committees include Fundraising; Property/Facilities; Collecting Photos & Stories; Artifacts; Public Relations & Membership; Technology; and Research.  “We know it is very important to get the stories from some of the older folks who grew up around here and had businesses here,” said Hasek.
Nation agrees, “We need to collect the stories, the memories and get them recorded. We can’t let them be lost.”
“There is a lot of history here,” Nation said. He enjoys telling stories about Harpers and the surrounding area: The hundreds of effigy mounds that once existed where the town now sits, the community’s ties to the five Sullivan brothers who died in World War II, the bootleggers who sold liquor to Al Capone, etc.
Hasek says, “I am very interested in preserving history and knowing the stories behind the settlement of the Harpers Ferry area. We bought our home in Harpers Ferry in 1990 because we fell in love with the area and planned to retire here. We know there is a rich history and how important the river, railroad, settlements, etc. were in the development.”
Hasek is glad to apply the skills she has gathered in her life to this project. “I am a convener, developer, and can provide leadership in the development of an organization.  I was the founding Chancellor and developed Allen College in Waterloo,” she explained.
She recalls, “Once while visiting Tuskegee University in Alabama when I was developing Allen College, one of the professors told me that the most important person to acquire is an historian/archivist to preserve the history.”
Nation and the others hope that the historical and educational facility can be used to educate local youth about commercial fishing, riverboats, the railroad, and “All the things that made this town what it is.”
Steege says she chooses to be involved with this project because it is something that could enhance the community of Harpers Ferry and be a source of pride to those who live in the area. She notes that many local folks talk about the need to preserve stories and this project is a good way to do that. “It will also help to educate people about what it took to settle this area and who those people were,” she shared.

SOME PLACE TO CALL HOME
One of the bigger decisions the group will need to make is whether or not to build a new structure to house the artifacts and displays, or if they should purchase and renovate an existing structure. The Harpers Ferry City Council is in favor of the overall project, but the general consensus was not in favor of adding on to the existing Community Center.
In early summer this year, the Booster Club and the HFAHS committee continued to explore avenues to move forward in developing the Educational and Heritage facility, Hasek says. Two properties were toured looking at the potential of renovation and possible purchase. One of those has since been sold.
A rural school house north of town was looked into for possible acquisition and moving it into town. Discussions are still being held regarding building a new structure or using a property with historical value and a positive location.

The HFAHS’s next meeting is set for Tuesday, Nov. 12 at the Legion Hall in Harpers Ferry. Anyone interested in learning more can contact Jane Hasek at hasekwj@acegroup.cc or  563-586-2554, or contact any of the other Board members.