The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: October seventeenth, exploring the haunts of Harpers Ferry.

On this day in 1859, the abolitionist John Brown and a group of his armed followers seized a federal arsenal and nearby town of Harpers Ferry. Though government troops commanded by U.S. Army Colonel Robert E. Lee re-took them both the next day and captured Brown, the incident is generally regarded as the first armed conflict of the Civil War. It certainly put this tiny town in the easternmost mountains of West Virginia on the map.

Situated where the Shenandoah River meets the Potomac, the Harpers Ferry that John Brown occupied was an important arms manufacturing center and railroad hub. Civil War battles and a series of devastating floods stole its economic import, but Harpers Ferry remains a beautiful and interesting travel destination, especially now when the leaves are at their peak. In 1944, much of Harpers Ferry was made a national historic park, and it's now a stop on the bike trail that runs from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh, PA.

Wandering the town's few streets is literally walking back in time. Its restored homes, taverns, churches and buildings present a well-documented insight into the lives of the armory workers who lived there. But there's another, more spectral side to Harpers Ferry. Just ask Shirley Dougherty. For over 25 years, this animated woman has been helping visitors have haunting experiences. Cloaked in black, she leads lantern light ghost tours that introduce the uninitiated to some of the town's immortal inhabitants. Given a dark night and two hours, Dougherty can bring the dead of Harpers Ferry to life.

FMI For Harpers Ferry Ghost Tours, call 304-725- 8019. For local tourist information 1-800-848-8687 or www.jeffersoncountycvb.com. For Harpers Ferry National Park www.nps.gov/hafe

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