Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

:Harpers Ferry redirects here. For other uses, see Harpers Ferry (disambiguation).

History

In 1751, Robert Harper was given a patent on 125 acres (0.5 km²) at the present location of the town. In 1761, Harper established a ferry across the Potomac making the town a starting point for settlers moving into the Shenandoah Valley and further west. In 1763, the Virginia General Assembly established the town of "Shenandoah Falls at Mr. Harper's Ferry."

Related Topics:
1751 - 1761 - 1763

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On October 25, 1783, Thomas Jefferson visited Harpers Ferry. He viewed "the passage of the Patowmac though the Blue Ridge" from a rock which is now named for him.

Related Topics:
1783 - Thomas Jefferson

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George Washington as president of the Patowmack Company (which was formed to complete river improvements on the Potomac and its tributaries) traveled to Harpers Ferry during the summer of 1785 to determine the need for bypass canals. In 1794, Washington's familiarity with the area lead him to propose the site as the location for a new federal armory and arsenal. Some of Washington's family moved to the area; his great-great nephew, Col. Lewis Washington, was held hostage during Brown's raid.

Related Topics:
George Washington - 1785 - 1794

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The United States Armory and Arsenal was established in the town in 1799 and the town was transformed into an industrial centre. Between 1801 and the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, the Armory produced more than 600,000 muskets, rifles, and pistols. The inventor John H. Hall pioneered the use of interchangeable parts in firearms manufacture at his Rifle Works in the town between 1820-1840.

Related Topics:
1799 - 1801 - American Civil War - 1861 - John H. Hall - 1820 - 1840

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This industrialization continued in 1833 when the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal reached the town. The canal linked Harpers Ferry with Washington, D.C. A year later, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad arrived.

Related Topics:
1833 - Chesapeake and Ohio Canal - Washington, D.C. - Baltimore & Ohio Railroad

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On October 16, 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown led a small group of followers in a raid on Harpers Ferry. Brown hoped to seize the arsenal and use its large cache of weapons to stage a slave uprising throughout the South. However, he and his men were quickly pinned down by local citizens and milita, and forced to take refuge in the engine house adjacent to the arsenal. On October 18, U.S. Marines under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee stormed the engine house, killing or capturing most of the raiders. Brown was tried for treason by the state of Virginia, convicted, and executed. The failed raid was a major catalyst in accelerating the slide to Civil War.

Related Topics:
October 16 - 1859 - Abolition - John Brown - Engine house - October 18 - U.S. Marines - Colonel - Robert E. Lee - Civil War

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The Civil War was disastrous for Harpers Ferry. Given the town's strategic location on the railroad and at the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley, both Union and Confederate troops moved through Harpers Ferry frequently. One battle during the war, the Battle of Harper's Ferry, was fought here. In fact, the town changed hands eight times between 1861 and 1865.

Related Topics:
Confederate - Battle of Harper's Ferry - 1865

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In 1944 most of the town became part of the National Park Service and it is now maintained as the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

Related Topics:
National Park Service - Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

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