crops—and moved it to the college's campus. It was disassembled and when on the Storer Campus it was inadvertently reassembled backwards, as the builders did not realize that the glass negative they were using as a guide had a reversed image. While there, it was used as the college museum. Glass cases of museum quality contained "a collection of old guns, helmets, money and other curiosities". An elevated gallery was added. The college published Captain John Brown and Harper's Ferry, a pamphlet about Brown and the Fort, written by Brown scholar Boyd Stutler. Students gave tours of the Fort. "They took great pride in that. That symbol of freedom meant a lot to those students." At the time, these student tours were required of many students, to give them practice in public speaking. In 1918, the alumni of Storer paid for a plaque attached to the west wall of the firehouse (picture at right). The plaque reads: THAT THIS NATION MIGHT HAVE A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM THAT SLAVERY SHOULD BE REMOVED FOREVER FROM AMERICAN SOIL AND HIS 21 MEN GAVE THEIR LIVES. TO COMMEMORATE THEIR HEROISM THIS TABLET IS PLACED ON THIS BUILDING WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN KNOWN AS BY THE ALUMNI OF STORER COLLEGE 1918 The National Park Service, through its Historic American Buildings Survey, has made public numerous photographs, plans, and descriptions of the building as it was at Storer College. When the College closed, the museum collection was auctioned off to pay debts, and borrowed items were returned to their owners. The National Park Service acquires and moves the building When Harpers Ferry National Monument was created, it did not include John Brown's Fort or its original location. The local Black community was opposed to having it moved away from the College grounds, and the College trustees were "squeamish" about turning it over to the Park Service. The Park Service was accused of using "white paternalism" to oppose Black wishes and detract from the significance of the Raid for African Americans. In 1960 the National Park Service acquired the building, which remained the main tourist attraction in Harpers Ferry. In the early 1960s local concessionaires operated a private gift shop in it. Many visitors came to visit it at the College, to the point that they made it difficult to carry out the Park Service's plans for the former College. Park Superintendent Joseph Prentice wanted to