There are so many historic small towns in West Virginia. In fact, it’s much harder to find a small town that’s not packed with historic significance than it is to find a small town that is! But the town full of the most history, yes, the most historic town in West Virginia, is in fact one of the most historic towns in the entire nation: Harpers Ferry, a National Historic Park.
But have you ever really taken time to learn all the ins and outs of the history of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia? It's worth knowing, and here are some tales to get you started.
One of the most famous names associated with Harpers Ferry is John Brown. To learn about his infamous raid, visit John Brown's Fort, a picturesque brick building first built in 1848 as an engine and guardhouse.
In 1859, John Brown and his followers attacked Harpers Ferry to stir up anti-slavery sentiment, and they barricade themselves here in this one room structure during the final hours of their raid. You can still visit this fort, located about 150 feet east of its original location in Lower Town Harpers Ferry.
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Other famous names associated with Harpers Ferry include several of the founding fathers. Don't miss the chance to hike to Jefferson's Rock.
Standing at this juncture, Jefferson observed, "The passage of the Patowmac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature." See that view for yourself by scrolling back up to the first picture we included in this post.
The ruins of old mills and houses on and around Virginius Island are also notable pieces of history, including the ruins of cotton, pulp, and flour mills, canals, water intake tunnels, and even a row house complex.
Bolivar Heights is a short drive from Lower Town in Harpers Ferry, but provides an excellent birds-eye view of the area, plus some more of its Civil War era history. It's a key Civil War battlefield in West Virginia and the location of the largest surrender of Union troops during the Civil War.
Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) also has ties to Harpers Ferry! He spent several weeks here gathering supplies for his journey west, including weapons and camp equipment.
He also worked on designing and building a prototype boat he planned to sail up the Missouri River.
And of course, this only scratches the surface of all the history Harpers Ferry, West Virginia has to offer! Come tour this National Historical Park for yourself, and take in all these amazing historic sites. Another bit of history we didn’t mention are some of the historic churches here.
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