Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Harpers Ferry was the site chosen by George Washington to build the nation's second armory and arsenal in 1794.  Situated at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, abundant water was available to provide power to operate the machinery of the armory.  Land was purchased in 1796 and construction started in 1799.  On his way to St. Louis, Meriwether Lewis acquired the weapons needed for the Corps of Discovery from the armory in Harpers Ferry.  In 1859, abolitionist John Brown and twenty men raided the armory with the intent to distribute weapons to slaves throughout the area.  The local militia kept Brown from escaping the town and cornered him in the fire engine house.  He was captured when US Marines commanded by Robert E. Lee stormed the fire hall.  Several civil war battles were fought in and around Harpers Ferry with the town changing hands eight times during the course of the war.  The town was part of Virginia at the start of the war, but became part of West Virginia when that state was admitted to the union in 1863.  We visited the town in August 2014.  The park consists of the Lower Town, Bolivar Heights and Schoolhouse Ridge in West Virginia; Loudoun Heights in Virginia; and Maryland Heights in Maryland.  The Appalachian National Scenic Trail passes through town and crosses the Potomac River on the footbridge constructed in place of the second track on one the Winchester & Potomac Railroad bridge.  The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal national Historical Park is also located on the Maryland side of the river.  The C&O Canal Towpath runs from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland.

A small visitor center is located at Murphy Farm on the heights above the town. It includes a map display of the area including civil war battle sites.  Restrooms are located nearby.  A shuttle bus service provides transportation for two mile trip to the Lower Town.  In addition, the 1.6 mile Lower Town Trail provides a scenic path for those who wish to walk.  While the trail follows beside the road for most of its path, the only vehicles on the road for most of its length are the shuttle busses or other park service vehicles.  Because we walked both ways, we had the opportunity to see wildlife along the Shenandoah Canal and the Staircase Rapids of the Shenandoah River.

In Lower Town, many park employees and volunteers are dressed in period clothing as part of a living history demonstration of life in the 1840s.  A second visitor center and museum is located on Shenandoah Street in Lower Town.

Visitor Center

The upper part of the Lower Town Trail is in forest shade

As the trail steepens its descent, rock stairs have been constructed

An unnamed creek flows beside the trail

The trail crosses the creek and then Shoreline Drive

Turtles basking on a log in the Shenandoah Canal

Monarch Butterfly

Wildflowers are abundant along the trail

Remains of the Shenandoah Pulp Factory (1888-1935) that was destroyed in the 1936 flood

Stone walls of the Shenandoah Canal

Bridge to Virginius Island

Deer grazing at the edge of the field

More turtles on a log in the algae covered canal

Gravel trail between Shenandoah Street and the Shenandoah Canal

Ruins of water powered factories

Winchester & Potomac trestle

St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church

Lower Town

Restored buildings along Shenandoah Street house exhibits

One of the few dressed-stone buildings in town

Evidence of a building that used to be

1840s Machine Shop

The dry goods store as it would have been

Visitor Center

The backside of buildings on High Street

Another view of St. Peters church from a side yard

Foundations of the armory building

John Brown's Fort, the fire-engine house, was located about 150 feet from where it has been rebuilt

Piers are all that remain of a railroad bridge over the Shenandoah River

View downstream from The Point

Railroad and foot bridge over the Potomac River

Railroad tunnel under Maryland Heights

Between the railroad bridges on the C&O Canal Towpath

Remains of Lock 33

Looking downstream at the filled in C&O canal

An Amtrak train makes a station stop

Confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers from the towpath

The towpath surface is crushed limestone

Potomac River and Loudoun Heights

White Horse Rapids on the Potomac and Loudoun Heights

Staircase Rapids on the Shenandoah River

Rafters on the Potomac below Harpers Ferry

Harpers Ferry from the US 340 bridge over the Potomac

On April 18, 1861, the outnumbered Federal forces blew up the arsenal and attempted to burn the armory before retreating across the river into Maryland.  While the townspeople managed to put out the fire, Harpers Ferry never regained its status as a major industrial location.  It did remain a strategic location for both the Federals and the Confederates.  Ten days later, Colonel Thomas J. Jackson began drilling thousands of Virginia volunteers on Bolivar Heights into a unit that soon became famous as the "Stonewall Brigade."  The Confederates abandoned Harpers Ferry in June 1861.  In October 1861, the 600 Federals on Bolivar Heights repelled an attack by 500 Confederates in the Battle of Bolivar Heights.  The Federals moved a large force into the area in February 1862.  In September 1862, the Confederates crossed the Potomac and camped outside Frederick, Maryland.  When Lee realized that the Union force was now threatened his supply and communication lines, he split his army into four parts and sent three columns to capture or destroy the Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry.   Lee's army surrounded the Federals and kept up an artillery barrage from the surrounding heights for five hours on September 14, 1862.  Bolivar Heights was the scene of the largest Federal surrender of the Civil War as 12,500 troops surrendered unconditionally on September 15.

Civil War earthworks on Bolivar Heights above Harpers Ferry

More earthworks on Bolivar Heights

A deer at the edge of the earthworks

View downriver from Bolivar Heights with Maryland Heights on the left and Loudoun Heights on the right

Defenses on Bolivar Heights

US 340 bridge over the Potomac River from Bolivar Heights

An entrance fee of $10 provides a three-day pass to visit the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.  Other entrance options include the Harpers Ferry Annual Pass for $30, an America the Beautiful Annual Pass for $80 for twelve months access to most national parks and forests or a Senior Pass for a one-time fee of $10 for those age 62 or over for access to most national parks and forests.

The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park website is http://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm.
The C&O Canal National Historical Park website is http://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail website is http://www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm.