Harpers Ferry and Bolivar celebrate 53rd annual ‘Old Tyme Christmas’
By Vanta Coda III, RealWV
As the holiday season unfolds, the historic towns of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar celebrate the 53rd annual Old Tyme Christmas, a tradition that began in 1971. This festive event brings together various organizations and volunteers, including the National Park Service (NPS), the Harpers Ferry Park Association, the Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Merchants Association, as well as local businesses, and the residents of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar.
Old Tyme Christmas is held over two December weekends each year. The first part of the celebration was held from the evening of Friday, Dec. 6, through Sunday, Dec. 8, with the second weekend scheduled to run from Friday, Dec. 13, through Sunday, Dec. 15.
The National Park Service (NPS) kicks off Old Tyme Christmas with their event, Capt. Flagg’s US Quartermaster City, in Harpers Ferry. This event immerses visitors in the Christmas holiday atmosphere of 1864, when the U.S. Army transformed the town into a significant supply and logistics center during the Civil War.
NPS Ranger, Melinda Day, the coordinator for the park’s living history and historic trades for the event, has assembled a team of rangers and historical reenactor volunteers. Through the efforts of this team, the desired goal is to demonstrate that Christmas is not just about presents and toys, but rather love and peace on Earth.
“What the Park Service is really trying to show in this event is that the greatest gifts in that time period were not just toys and sweets, but peace on earth and goodwill toward all men and freedom for four million enslaved people that were in the United States at that time, ” said Ranger Day. “That is something that Santa could never put into a stocking, so we tend to talk about those kinds of themes when it comes to the Civil War program here.”
Many of the reenactors at Capt. Flagg’s US Quartermaster City are excited to show the public what Christmas looked like in the mid-1800s. There is no better example of the spirit of this event than Colleen Moran, who has volunteered with Capt. Flagg’s US Quartermaster City and Old Tyme Christmas for 25 years and views this event as a cherished family tradition.
“My grandmother did this before me for about 40 years,” said Moran. “A lot of us participating in this in the park have been here for almost 50 years.”
The Harpers Ferry Park Association, a non-profit organization that works alongside the National Park Service to support Harpers Ferry National Park, funds the historic trade specialists, performers, and carriage drivers during these weekends. Catherine Baldau, Executive Director of the Harpers Ferry Park Association, anticipated a large turnout this year, just as there has been for every year since the inception of Old Tyme Christmas.
“I’ve talked to people who’ve said they have been coming here for 50 years, and they now are bringing their grandkids,” said Baldau. “We have a lot of people we see year after year who are either local or travel from the bigger cities to visit for this event.”
As a lot of festivities were hosted this past weekend in Harpers Ferry, the next weekend of Friday Dec. 13 to Sunday Dec. 15, hosts many activities on top of the hill in Bolivar, which Eddie Love, President of the Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Merchants Association, looks forward to turnout from the local communities as opposed to out of state visitors.
“Old Tyme Christmas on the second weekend is not so much a concerted plan to drive tourism up into the high town and Bolivar,” said Love. “Harpers Ferry and Bolivar are two different towns both have their own identity and their own events, and the events that are going on mainly in Bolivar next weekend are as much for locals and the folks that live around here, as it is for tourists and visitors, but of course it’s advertised and made available to them as well.”
Even though the first weekend has come to a close, the merriment and joy of Old Tyme Christmas will continue through Harpers Ferry and Bolivar, as both historic towns watch as another holiday season brings visitors to learn about holiday traditions of the past.
If you are interested in attending the Old Tyme Christmas events in Bolivar and Harpers Ferry from Friday, Dec. 13, to Sunday, Dec. 15, please visit experienceharpersferry.com.
