Harpers Ferry Scenic Beauty Masks Turbulent Past
American Icons, Floods, Insurrection, War, Race Shaped Town's Story
May 14, 2009
The town itself is in West Virginia, 65 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. and 80 miles west of Baltimore, MD.
The vista of thickly-wooded hills towering over the gorges of two white-capped rivers rushing downstream and coming together at the "point" of the town is so picturesque, and the natural beauty so inspiring, they can mask momentarily the enormity of historical events that occurred there.
"Mr Harper's Ferry" Opened Westward Migration
In 1761, when Robert Harper established a ferry crossing the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers--the spot on which the park sits--a route into the Shenandoah Valley and America’s undeveloped west was assured.
Two years later in 1763, the Virginia General Assembly established the town of “Shenandoah Falls at Mr. Harper’s Ferry.” From the outset, the site was admired for its strategic location and surging rivers that could turn water wheels for power.
Thomas Jefferson Admired the View
After visiting in 1783, Thomas Jefferson wrote in Notes on the State of Virginia, “The passage of the Patomac [sic] through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature." Of a view from a precipice overlooking the two rivers cascading through the mountains, he wrote, “This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic."
In 1963, Congress made the site a National Historic Park, which included a short stretch of the 2200-mile Appalachian Trail and the 185-mile C&O Canal. However, long before that designation, the town was a crucible, from which significant events and concepts spilled out to impact the nation at large.
Meriwether Lewis Purchased Provisions at Harpers Ferry Armory
In 1796 the US purchased 125 acres at the confluence of the rivers, from the heirs of Robert Harper. President George Washington ordered construction of a US armory and arsenal there, which got underway in 1799. Meriwether Lewis procured armaments and tools there in 1803, in preparation for the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804.
In 1819, the War Department contracted with John H. Hall, a New England gunsmith, to go to Harpers Ferry and develop a rifle works. While there, he carried on rudimentary research and development, on advanced manufacturing methods. He spent 22 years at his rifle works, during which he perfected and introduced the manufacture of interchangeable parts.
Consruction of Railroads Created Dramatic Growth
Construction of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the Winchester & Potomac Railroad, and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in the mid-1830s created dramatic growth in Harpers Ferry. The work force at the armory grew from 25 to 400. Trains and boats reduced travel time from days to hours, expanding local commerce. Businessmen built a paper mill, iron foundry and other manufacturing plants.
During the Civil War, an army of either side occupied the town eight times. Sadly, only the armory's fire engine house and guard house escaped extensive damage in the war; the town never recovered economically. Although far less destructive, flooding has also caused damage.
Progressive Environment Fostered Ideas for Cultural Change
Besides advancing economic gains, early seeds of political and cultural change in America took root and sprouted in the progressive climate of Harpers Ferry.
- The abolitionist John Brown, with 21 soldiers, captured the arsenal and 100,000 rifles on October 16, 1859, for the purpose of inciting an insurrection by slaves. Thirty-six hours afterward, federal troops captured him in the armory fire engine house (known today as "John Brown's Fort"). Colonel Robert E. Lee commanded the force that recaptured the armory.
- When, on September 4, 1862, General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia splashed across the Potomac River into Maryland near the town of Frederick, the South’s first invasion of the North began. Eleven days later at Harpers Ferry, General Thomas J. ”Stonewall” Jackson commanded Confederate forces that captured 12,500 Union troops on Bolivar Heights, most captured at one time by southern forces.
- In 1867, Storer College, an integrated school to educate former slaves but admitting students of all races and both genders opened in repaired armory buildings. The renowned orator Frederick Douglass served as a trustee. After scholar and civil rights activist Dr. W.E.B. DuBois and other leading African-Americans created the Niagara Movement--predecessor of the NCAAP--the movement held its second conference on the campus in 1906.
View from the Distance Can Be Misleading
Looking down from the bluffs or "heights" circling the town, the steeple of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church thrusts lance-like out of clusters of tree tops and tiny buildings. It was built in 1833, and was the only church to survive the devastating Civil War. Completing the scene, minute winding cobblestone streets lead to bridges and railroad trestles spanning the waterways.
The scene could be the village of a Lionel model railroad layout. But such a miniaturization could be misleading; for powerful events of great importance to America’s continuing evolution transpired in Harpers Ferry.
Sources:
- Landmarks of American Nature Writing
- USA Tourist
- The Journal Online (West Virginia Web)
- US National Park Service
- Writer's tour of Harpers Ferry May 3, 2009
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