I visited Harpers Ferry in northern West Virginia once before, when I lived in the US, and decided to return on this trip for several reasons.  The Shenandoah River valley is beautiful and peaceful, two things that I want to be a part of my journey.  But the history of the area is the primary reason to come here.  The fact that it’s at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers has made it of strategic importance in both colonization of the west, and for military reasons.

A Quaker colonist named Robert Harper originally owned the land in the area, moving there in 1734, and establishing a ferry across the Potomac in 1761, which is of course how the town got its name.  The town was visited by a number of famous people in their travels, including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, but it became truly significant in about 1799 when a federal armory and arsenal was built at the site, one of only two such facilities that produced most of the small arms for the US Army.  In the early 1800’s, tracks were laid and train service began to the area, making it a center for industrialization.

But the main reason I wanted to come here again was to revisit the site of John Brown’s Raid, which occurred in 1859.  John Brown was a radical abolitionist who lived in a number of states, but I knew of him because he owned a farmstead in North Elba, in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.  His farm was a stop on the Underground Railroad that helped escaped slaves make it to freedom in the north.  Brown believed that the only way to abolish slavery was through an armed uprising, and in October 1859 he put that idea into action when he and 21 men, including five freed slaves, led a raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry to obtain arms.  The army sent a force of 86 marines to the town, led by an off-duty General Robert E. Lee.  The marines killed or captured all of the raiders, Brown was tried for treason, and later hanged.  I’m not sure why the story fascinates me, but perhaps it’s because, despite very likely being delusional and believing that he was an instrument of God’s wrath against slavery, he was passionate about his belief, and gave up everything, including his life, in pursuit of an ideal.  Despite his methods and his failure, such purity of purpose is, I think, rarely seen any more.  How many of us would give everything for a slim change to achieve a vision?

But in any case, there are many more details about Harpers Ferry and John Brown on Wikipedia, including the part it played in the Civil War and the burning of the arsenal, so I refer you there for further reading!

I parked about a half mile outside of Harpers Ferry and walked into town along a stagnant canal.  Along the way I passed old rock walls that turned out to be sluiceways that once held ten turbines and powered machinery in a pulp factory.  The sign said that it was built in 1887, but was unprofitable and went out of business in 1935.  The remaining walls are beautifully made though.

Another sight along the path was an old wooden bridge, believed to date from about 1886, that provided access to an island in the river.

In the town there are many historic reenactments, with actors who know their parts very well, and were able to answer any question that was put to them, including this army soldier who stood to attention when I asked to take his picture.

 

And these wonderful girls who seemed a bit bored, and so we chatted for quite a while.  The one on the right was having a great time and got us all giggling together!

I walked across the old trestle railway bridge to see the tunnel entrance at the other side.

There was a beautiful view down the Potomac River from the bridge.  Some tubers came drifting down the Shenandoah while I was there, and it looked like the perfect way to spend a warm Friday afternoon!

I wandered around the town all afternoon, and found a couple of signs that I hadn’t noticed last time I visited, including one that commemorated the first person killed in John Brown’s Raid.

And another that indicated that Meriwether Lewis began his journey here — the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition that opened the west to colonisation.

I wandered back down the path to my car, enjoying the views of the river and the sense of history that pervaded the whole place.  Imagine all the famous people and important events that happened here!  Imagine all the unknown, insignificant people, people like me, that went into making all that history, but whose names, and whose joys and sorrows, will never be known.  What a weird world.  And John Brown was probably considered weird in his own time as well.  But he was passionate about his weirdness, and so now we know his name.