Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

Random is how we came about picking Harper's Ferry as the place of our weekend getaway.  I was simply looking for nearby KOA's and it was the easiest and closest.  I really didn't know much about it other than it was in West Virginia and a co-worker of Craig's lived there.  I did a little research before we left to find out that it was near a National Historic Park so I figured we would have plenty to discover.  We left early Friday morning to allow Craig to play a round of disc golf and the kids and I play at the playground then headed on further to Harper's Ferry.  As we were leaving Virginia we came across a big river which from a sign we learned was the Shenandoah River and across from it we saw a beautiful old chapel and town right near it.  We were both intrigued by it but at this time did not know this was actually Harper's Ferry.  We found the KOA and National Park and across from the street a tourist center.  We stopped by the tourist center first to find out that the National Park was the actual town of Harper's Ferry and some of the surrounding areas.  She told us the town played a significant role in the Civil War and in the Industry movement.  We took a shuttle from the Park visitor's center to the town and walking around several of the buildings provided the history of this town. Basically, Harper's Ferry was the location of the second armory that George Washington had built.  Washington had surveyed much of this land and his brother Charles, founded a town about 5 miles away.  Harper's Ferry is unique in that right at the point of the city is where the Shenandoah and the Potomac Rivers meet and combine into the Potomac that flows into the Atlantic Ocean.  A town with a lot of industry due to the rivers being a valuable resource for movement then the railroad was also built running through the town.  Thomas Jefferson also visited this area and wrote how amazing it was to view the two rivers meeting together.  The rock where he sat still stands today and we hiked to it to see the same view he saw.  That trail we hiked on is also part of the Appalachian trail and as we learned more about it this weekend it is now a goal of Craig's to hike all of it in parts.  Maybe when we retire we could take the 6 months to hike the entire thing at once - it is just over 2000 miles and runs from Maine to Georgia.

When the United States was in conflict about the issue of slavery an abolitionist by the name of John Brown raided the armory with the intention of arming the slaves and free them but the raid failed with several of his men killed or captured by local farmers and US marines under the command of Robert E. Lee.  John Brown was tried for treason against the State of Virginia and for the murder of 5 pro slavery Southerners and subsequently hanged later that year.  Many believe that his act is what triggered the tensions to increase and a year later the secession of the States and start of the Civil War.  The town was valued by both the North and South soldiers due to the railroad and supply lines so it was a scene of several battles, trading hands between the North and South about 8 times.  During one of these times the Union soldiers did not want the Confederate soldiers to be able to use the weapons from the armory and destroyed several weapons and most of the machines used to create the guns.  Stonewall Jackson was one of the leaders who tried to maintain Harper's Ferry for the Confederacy but eventually the Union did gain control of Harper's Ferry and Abraham Lincoln came to survey the troops.  We were able to stand on the same field where he stood to do this.  After the devastation from the Civil war and several floods the town was never really the prominent town it once was. 

We also found out that Harper's Ferry happens to be the most photographed town in the United States and of course I forgot my camera.  I can definitely see why with the historical buildings and the river fronts and bridges, very unique backgrounds.  The city is pretty much a tourist town now with cute shops and restaurants and the lower buildings being maintained by the National Parks service, but one that I would want to visit again, with my camera this time.