This is my final entry for the traveling done this past week.

Links to all photos taken

Spending a morning in Harper’s Ferry was the highlight of my week.  The entire town is a time capsule, preserved at right around the 1860-1870s in a fashion similar to what they do at Colonial Williamsburg.

The “park” wasn’t officially open until 10:00am, but I got there at first light and (once again) had the place to myself.  Folks normally park at the visitor’s center and then take a bus that runs a little less than a mile to the things worth seeing.   Since I was there so early, there was no bus and I just walked.

HF played a much more prominent role in 18th and 19th century America.  The town was one of the most significant trading and transportation hubs in the east.  The town lies at the confluence of the Shenandoah River and Potomac River.  It was the junction of several different rail lines and sits right along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.  Goods shipping to and from the “west” (i.e. Ohio, Illinois, Michigan..) all ran right by Harper’s Ferry.  It was also the location of the 2nd largest federal armory – this is where the government manufactured pistols, rifles, cannon and related arms and armament.  I had originally thought that the armory was just a couple of larger buildings, but at the time of the Civil War, the armory was a full six acres of buildings that sat along the Potomac side of town.

This is a place to visit, folks, if you haven’t done so before.  It’s a beautiful setting and a lot to see and do.

Deer across the C&O Canal.

Downtown Harper’s Ferry

HF is probably most famous now for the Raid of John Brown in 1859.  Brown and 22 other hard core abolitionists attacked the armory and briefly took over the town for a couple of days.  The aim was to take over the arsenal and provide guns and ammo to thousands of slaves, who would rise up, kill their southern masters and proclaim a revolution of freedom for all blacks.  The US military showed up and eventually cornered Brown and the other survivors in the Engine House (shown above).  10 raiders were killed, 6 escaped and 7 (including Brown) were captured, tried for Treason and hanged.

Brown inside the Engine House.  A little known Colonel Robert E. Lee led the Federal marines that quelled the rebellion and captured Brown.  Stonewall Jackson and Jeb Stuart were part of the troops guarding the arrested Brown.

Time for some recommendations..

Book:  I read this several years ago… it’s sort of a tongue in cheek historical novel about John Brown and his start in Kansas through to his hanging.  “The Good Lord Bird” by James McBride.  A good read.

As it happens, Showtime took this book and made a 7-part mini series this year.  It’s very well done and entertaining.  

These steps, leading up to St. Peters Catholic church (built 1830’s) is the official halfway point of the Appalachian trail.  You continue up these steps to Maine or walk down the steps to Georgia.

Pathway up to Jefferson Rock.

Several large masses of shale, piled one upon the other, comprise Jefferson Rock. The name of this landmark derives from Thomas Jefferson, who stood here on October 25, 1783. 

Quote Jefferson:  “The passage of the Patowmac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature. You stand on a very high point of land. On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain a hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Patowmac in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together against the mountain, rend it asunder and pass off to the sea…..This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic.”

The uppermost slab of Jefferson Rock originally rested on a natural stone foundation so narrow that one was able to sway the rock back and forth with a gentle push. Because this natural foundation had “dwindled to very unsafe dimensions by the action of the weather, and still more, by the devastations of tourists and curiosity-hunters,” four stone pillars were placed under each corner of the uppermost slab sometime between 1855 and 1860.  Now they don’t even let any curiosity-hunters (like me) get up there at all.

There’s still a lot of coal left to take out of West Virginia..