Trip Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Harper's Ferry is a beautifully situated town at the confluence of the Shendandoah River and Potomac River. It has lower part of town and the upper part. The first photo above is taken from the higher part of the town. The gap you seen between mountains in the distance is the same gap to the upper right of the second photo and the upper left in the third photo. The Harper's Ferry National Park consists of this older part of town. The town of Harper's Ferry is to my back as I took the second and third photos. The second photo shows the Potomac River and the third shows the Shendandoah River flowing into the Potomac.

The first photo directly above shows the bridge over the Maryland Heights which towers above Harper's Ferry behind me. Because of Haper's Ferry location, it was important for supply, train, and canal lines. Because it was at the border of Maryland and Virginia (West Virginia wasn't formed from Virginia until 1863), it was much fought over by Union and Confederate forces. In 1862 Lee devised plans to remove the large Union force there. Confederate forces moved in from three directions--one being Maryland Heights in the first photo above. Union forces surrendered and Harper's Ferry fell into Confederate hands. The second and third photos above show the building that houses the museum depicting the events around John Brown's Raid.

In 1859 John Brown led a group composed mostly of his sons and a few others to lead a slave insurrection. Their design was to capture the Federal Armory. The plan failed miserably and John Brown was later hung. The monumnet at left is on the spot where the armory was located. It has been moved several times and now sits where you see it among the tress in the distance in the second photo.

Many of the old buildings at Harper's Ferry have been turned into museums. This one shows displays information about Meriwether Lewis's time in Harper's Ferry when he was collecting supplies for the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

The above is the oldest building in Harper's Ferry being the house built by Mr. Harper the man who received the original patent for this land. Mr. Harper died before the building was completed. For those of you who know of my genealogical interests, you might be interested to know that even though we have no ancestors buried in the cemetery on this hill, my kids still wanted to walk through the cemetery.