HARPERS FERRY, an eighteenth-century town now
restored as a national historic park.
Clinging to steep hillsides above the rocky confluence of the Potomac
and Shenandoah rivers,
many of the town's forty-odd brick and stone buildings date from the
days when George Washington set up
the country's first national munitions factory here to
arm the young Republic. During the mid-1800s Harpers Ferry was
a thriving industrial complex, home to some five thousand workers
and linked to the capital by the B&O Railroad
and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. After suffering the ravages
of the Civil War and a series of torrential floods,
however, it was all but abandoned, the empty shells of its homes
and factories slowly becoming overgrown
by the dense forest that covers the surrounding hills. Almost all
of Harpers Ferry has since been
reconstructed as an outdoor museum, combining historical importance and
natural beauty.
"John Brown's Fort". This is where Abolitionist John Brown barricaded himself while trying
to escape from the U.S. Marines that were commanded by Col. Robert E. Lee
after he raided the armory trying to get arms to help him free the slaves.
Ruins of the old railroad bridge that spans the Potomac River
where the Shenandoah River and Potomac converge at Harpers Ferry.
This bridge was burned and rebuilt numerous times during the span of the Civil War.
The Potomac River where the Shenandoah River and Potomac converge at Harpers Ferry.
Buildings along High Street in downtown Harpers Ferry.
Buildings along High Street in downtown Harpers Ferry.
Buildings along High Street in downtown Harpers Ferry.
Pub where we had lunch
page 12 
photo index
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