Harpers Ferry, WV

Harpers Ferry, a very significant part in our American history, sits on the point of West Virginia where the Shenandoah River converges with the Potomac River.  In this triangle, present day Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia meet.  George Washington chose this site for an armory.  Factories from the early 1800s helped fuel the Industrial Revolution and John Brown started an uprising which drew national attention to slavery.

Today this area also marks the site where 3 national trails meet.  We walked a little of the Appalachian trail to get to Harpers Ferry from the visitor center.

looking down the Shenandoah River, the steeple of St. Peters church is visible well before an old train crossing

ruins of St. John's Episcopal

trains still travel frequently from WV to MD across the Potomac at Harpers Ferry

St. Peters church, 1833, sits on a prominent area overlooking the point

a beautiful neo-gothic architecture popular at the time

White Hall Tavern, circa 1850

Meriwether Lewis used Harpers Ferry to get ready for the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Harpers Ferry, about midpoint on the Appalachian Trail

the convergence point of the Shenandoah and the Potomac Rivers

standing where the Shenandoah converges with the Potomac River

enjoying an Almost Heaven ale in Harpers Ferry

ruins of an old cotton mill on the Shenandoah





late afternoon sun on the clear waters of the Shenandoah