Archaeology can either bolster memory and tradition, or contradict the status quo and provide an alternative view of the past. An archaeology of Harpers Ferry's wartime and Victorian eras confronts time-honored historical interpretations of the past (created and perpetuated by such interest groups as historians and the National Park Service) and in so doing allows us to be more inclusive of the town's forgotten histories and provides alternative voices to a past.

"This report constitutes the archeological component for the cultural landscape report, historic structures report, and archeological research report for Park Building 48, Package 118, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The structure is situated on the eastern portion of Lot 2, north of Shenandoah Street, northeast of Virginius Island, and borders the heart of Harpers Ferry's commercial district. Archeological field investigations were sponsored by the National Park Service and performed by the Division of Archeology at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, from August 13, 1990 through November 16, 1990"--Page 1.1.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is most widely known today for the attempted slave revolt led by John Brown in 1859, the nucleus for the interpretation of the current national park. Here, Teresa S. Moyer and Paul A. Shackel tell the behind-the-scenes story of how this event was chosen and preserved for commemoration, providing lessons for federal, state, local, and non-profit organizations who continually struggle over the dilemma about which past to present to the public. Professional and non-professional audiences alike will benefit from their important insights into how federal agencies interpret the past, and in turn shape public memory.

Chiefly a checklist and index to the collections of the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record housed in the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.