Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Location: West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia, USA
Nearest city: Charles Town, West Virginia
Coordinates: 39°19′22″N, 77°43′47″W
Area: 2,287.48 acres (9.26 km²)
Established: June 30, 1944
Visitation: 241,807 (in 2005)
Governing body: National Park Service

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers in and around Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The park includes land in the adjacent states of Maryland and Virginia. The park is managed by the National Park Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Originally designated a National Monument in 1944, the park was declared a National Historical Park by the U.S. Congress in 1963. The park includes the historic town of Harpers Ferry, notable as a center of 19th century industry and as the scene of John Brown's abolitionist uprising. Consisting of 2,500 acres (10 km²), the land marks the site on which Thomas Jefferson once said, "The passage of the Patowmac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature" after visiting the area in 1783. Due to a mixture of historical events and ample recreational opportunities, all within 50 miles (80 km) of Washington, D.C., the park has over one million visitors annually. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

Shenandoah River on left and Potomac River on right merge at Harpers Ferry
Enlarge
Shenandoah River on left and Potomac River on right merge at Harpers Ferry

Contents

[edit] Early history

Native American history in the region dates back at least 8,000 years. The Tuscarora Indians were the last native peoples known to inhabit the area in large numbers, essentially vanishing due to disease and conflict with White settlers in the early 18th century. Robert Harper obtained a patent for the land from the Virginia legislature in 1751. (Prior to 1863, West Virginia was part of Virginia). The town was originally known as Shenandoah Falls at Mr. Harper's Ferry (1763) due to the ferry Robert Harper owned and operated. Today, the original house built by Robert Harper is the oldest remaining structure in the lower part of the park. Though it is believed that George Washington visited the area earlier, his trip to the rivers' confluence in 1785, searching for a waterway to ship goods westward, is his earliest mention of the area. Washington later ensured that an arsenal and an armory were constructed on the site, utilizing the abundant water power needed for manufacturing purposes.

Meriwether Lewis, under government contract, procured most of the weaponry and associated hardware that would be needed for the Lewis and Clark Expedition at the armory in Harpers Ferry. Blacksmiths also built a collapsible iron boat frame for the expedition. Between the years 1820 to 1840, John H. Hall worked to perfect the manufacturing of interchangeable parts at the armory. Utilizing precision molds and jigs, this was one of the birthplaces of precision manufacturing so that armaments and related mechanical equipment could be standardized and parts would be interchangeable. Subsequently, the development of the modern bullet to replace the round lead slug was achieved by James H. Burton and this improvement was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1855. Employing at times up to 400 workers, the armory produced over half a million muskets and rifles between 1801 and 1860.

[edit] John Brown and the Civil War

Harper's Weekly illustration of U.S. Marines attacking John Brown's "Fort"
Enlarge
Harper's Weekly illustration of U.S. Marines attacking John Brown's "Fort"

Abolitionist John Brown led an armed group in the capture of the armory in 1859. Brown had hoped he would be able to arm the slaves and lead them against U.S. forces in a rebellion to overthrow slavery. After his capture in the armory by a group of marines (led by U.S. Army Colonel Robert E. Lee), Brown was hanged, predicting in his last words that civil war was looming on the horizon, a prediction that came true less than two years later. The most important building remaining from John Brown's raid is the firehouse, now known as John Brown's Fort where he resisted the Marines.

The American Civil War (1861–1865) found Harpers Ferry right on the boundary between the Union and Confederate forces. The strategic position along this border and the valuable manufacturing base was a coveted strategic goal for both sides, but particularly the South due to its lack of manufacturing centers. Consequently, the town exchanged hands no less than eight times during the course of the war. Union forces abandoned the town immediately after the state of Virginia seceded from the Union, burning the armory and seizing 15,000 rifles. Colonel Thomas J. Jackson, who would later become known as "Stonewall", secured the region for the Confederates a week later and shipped most of the manufacturing implements south. Jackson spent the next two months preparing his troops and building fortifications, but was ordered to withdraw south and east to assist P.G.T. Beauregard at the First Battle of Bull Run. Union troops returned in force, occupying the town and began to rebuild parts of the armory. Stonewall Jackson, now a major general, returned in September 1862 under orders from Robert E. Lee to retake the arsenal and then to join Lee's army north in Maryland. Jackson's assault on the Federal forces at Harpers Ferry led to the capitulation of 12,500 Union troops, which was the largest number of Union prisoners taken at one time during the war. The town exchanged hands several more times over the next two years.

[edit] Storer College

Storer College postcard (1910)
Enlarge
Storer College postcard (1910)

Storer College was built in Harpers Ferry as one of the first integrated schools in the U.S. Frederick Douglass served as a trustee of the college, and delivered a memorable oration on the subject of John Brown there in 1881. Subsequent rulings known as Jim Crow Laws led other African American leaders such as Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois to hold a Niagara Movement (an early form of the NAACP) conference at the school in 1906 to discuss ways to peacefully combat legalized discrimination and segregation. After the end of school segregation in 1954, Storer College shut down the following year. The National Park Service now uses parts of the facility for training purposes.

[edit] The park today

The CSX railroad bridge crosses the Potomac on the edge of the park (Photo: A.E. Crane; ©2000 National Scenic Byways Online).
Enlarge
The CSX railroad bridge crosses the Potomac on the edge of the park (Photo: A.E. Crane; ©2000 National Scenic Byways Online).
View from Jefferson Rock at Harpers Ferry NHP
Enlarge
View from Jefferson Rock at Harpers Ferry NHP

Several historical museums now occupy restored 19th century buildings in the Lower Town Historic District of Harpers Ferry. North of the park and across the Potomac from Harpers Ferry is the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which operated from 1828 to 1924. The canal provided a vital waterway link with areas up and downstream prior to and during the early years after the arrival of the railroad. Today, the park can be accessed via U.S. Highway 340. Aside from the extensive historical interests of the park, recreational opportunities include fishing, boating, and whitewater rafting as well as hiking, with the Appalachian Trail passing right through the park.

[edit] External links


Flag of West Virginia Jefferson County, West Virginia
Municipalities

Bolivar | Charles Town | Harpers Ferry | Ranson | Shepherdstown

Unincorporated communities

Bakerton | Bardane | Blair | Bloomery | Blue Ridge Acres | Browns Corner | Clips Mill | Duffields | Egypt | Engle | Franklintown | Halltown | Jamestown | Johnsontown | Kabletown | Kearneysville | Keyes Ferry Acres | Leetown | Mannings | Mechanicstown | Mechlenberg Heights | Meyerstown | Middleway | Millville | Moler Crossroads | Mountain Mission | Reedson | Rippon | Riverside | Shannondale | Shenandoah Junction | Silver Grove | Skeetersville | Summit Point | Uvilla | Wheatland

Rivers and streams

Opequon Creek | Potomac River | Shenandoah River

Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
Counties

Berkeley | Grant | Hampshire | Hardy | Jefferson | Mineral | Morgan | Pendleton

Communities

Bayard | Berkeley Springs | Bolivar | Capon Bridge | Carpendale | Charles Town | Elk Garden | Franklin | Harpers Ferry | Hedgesville | Keyser | Martinsburg | Moorefield | Paw Paw | Petersburg | Piedmont | Ridgeley | Romney | Shepherdstown | Wardensville

Attractions

Appalachian National Scenic Trail | Berkeley Springs State Park | Cacapon Resort State Park | Cacapon River | Capon Springs | Charles Town Races & Slots | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park | Fort Ashby | Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches | George Washington National Forest | Harpers Ferry National Historical Park | Indian Mound Cemetery | Jennings Randolph Lake | Lost River | Lost River State Park | Monongahela National Forest | Mount Storm Lake | Northwestern Turnpike | Potomac River | Potomac State College | Seneca Rocks | Shenandoah River | Shepherdstown National Historic District | Shepherd University | Sleepy Creek Lake | Smoke Hole Caverns | South Branch Potomac River | Spruce Knob | Summit Point Motorsports Park | The Trough | Trout Pond | Tuscarora Trail | Washington Heritage Trail