Date of Graduation

2000

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

Committee Chair

Calvin O. Masilela

Abstract

Since the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, communities all over have found themselves caught up in a land-use controversy over the siting of cellular towers and antennas. One community in particular, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, found itself fighting over a tower that threatened the town’s historical and cultural landscapes. This research presents the controversy over cellular tower siting and examines Harpers Ferry’s unique situation, concerns, and ultimate victory over governing forces. It also examines the broader themes that continue to stir controversy in the town whose scenery and beauty was deemed by Thomas Jefferson to be “worth a voyage across the Atlantic.”

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