Harper's Ferry


During my stay in the DC area I also took a day trip to Harper's Ferry, an historic town where West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland meet. Harper's Ferry was a small ferry port during the 18th century, but sprang to prominence in the lead up to the Civil War, when abolitionist John Brown attempted to initiate a slave revolt by seizing the US arsenal in the town. 

Harper's Ferry is at the easternmost point of West Virginia

Brown and his 22 raiders initially captured the arsenal, but were quickly overwhelmed by a company of US Marines lead by Robert E Lee (later the commander of the Confederate Army). Those who survived, including Brown, were later executed. The event was widely and quickly covered across the US thanks to the new electrical telegraph. Today the town is home to only a few hundred people, but some of the historical buildings are well preserved, including a church and several storefronts, one of which is now a museum.

Harper's Ferry is just over an hour from where I was staying in the DC suburbs. I rode there with two of my classmates; fortunately one had a car so I could tag along. We arrived around noon, took a walk around the small historical center, visited the history museum, and then had lunch. Afterwards we crossed a pedestrian bridge over the Potomac River and hiked up the Maryland Heights trailhead. 

The trail offered great views of the town, the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, and the surrounding hills. I'll keep the description short, and instead just give you a few photos from our trip:

St Peters Roman Catholic Church, originally constructed
in 1833 and extensively altered in 1896

Section of the old town with the Shenandoah River in the background

St Peters and the confluence or the Potomac and Shenandoah

Pedestrian and rail bridge across the Potomac

View from near the ruins of Stone Fort, looking east
(away from Harper's Ferry)

Another lookout on the west side of the hill, towards Harper's Ferry

The two guys from my training class who I hiked with

I do occasionally get photos of myself, although it's rare

One of the main streets in the old town

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