This exhibit shows a replica of the store that was run by the Burton family for almost 50 years. Visitors today can stop in and see clocks of the 1800s.
Built in 1848 as the armory superintendent's home, the house was used as officers' quarters during the Civil War. The building was conveyed to Storer College in 1869, replacing Lockwood House as school headquarters. After an addition in 1882, Anthony Memorial Hall contained the main library, museum, music rooms, chapel hall, lecture room, science laboratories and administrative offices. In 1906, the Niagara Movement met in this building. It now serves as a training center for
The Appalachian Trail Visitor Center in Harpers Ferry is one of the most legendary landmarks along the entire 2200-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail. It's a fun stop and great resource whether you're exploring historic Harpers Ferry, looking for a fantastic day-hike nearby, or interested in learning more about the world's most famous footpath. <br /><br />Learn more about the AT Visitor Center by <a href="http://appalachiantrail.org/home/about-us/get-in-touch/harpers-ferry-visitor-center">visiting their website</a> .
One of the most well-known hikes in the United States, this trail runs through Harpers Ferry and visitors can hike a portion of it! This sign at The Point can help direct guests and get them started on this famous trail.
The United States Armory was the main reason Meriwether Lewis came to Harpers Ferry. Lewis needed dependable weapons and supplies from the armory to succeed on his mission. The quality of the armorers' handiwork would also mean the difference between life and death for Lewis and his men. In 1803, the armory consisted of ten buildings just upstream and underneath the existing railroad embankment.
The Baltimore & Ohio (B & O) railroad bridge was once a majestic wood covered bridge that spanned the Potomac River and carried train traffic on the B & O Railroad for 23 years prior to the outbreak of the Civil War.
*Please be cautious near the railways as they are still in use. Cross only where permitted. <br /><br />The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad revolutionized the way people traveled in the 1800s. A historical railroad, the B&O was responsible for transportation of materials throughout the Midwest. The tracks are still in operation today and visitors can visit this station. Experience the oldest common-carrier railroad in the nation!
The Blacksmith Shop is open during some special events, living history weekends, and historic trades workshops. Check the park's calendar for instances of the building being staffed.
Located on the second floor of the Provost Marshal Building, this floor showcases what living quarters would look like for different people during the Civil War period. James Taylor, a newspaper sketch artist, resided here in 1864 alongside Mrs. Stipes and her daughters who ran the housing. Get a sense of what living here was like during the 1860s by exploring these replica rooms!
Bolivar Heights is one of the most important Civil War battlefields in West Virginia -- it was the site of the largest surrender of United States troops during the Civil War. Today, from this location, you can walk beside trenches, take a hike in the woods, or enjoy an incredible vista where you can see most of the park areas from one vantage point. You can drive to this location on your own.
Visitors can browse our selection of official Harpers Ferry merchandise at the Bookshop in historic Lower Town. Any guests with a National Park Passport booklet can get their passport stamps here as well. The Bookshop is the perfect opportunity to take a piece of Harpers Ferry home.
Built in 1858, this house served as the home for the U.S. Armory superintendent's clerk. As an assistant to the superintendent, the clerk's responsibilities included drafting correspondence, filing reports, arranging schedules, and insuring the smooth operation of the superintendent's office.After Storer College was established for freedmen in 1867, the building was named in honor of Dr. Nathan Brackett - educator, minister, administrator, and financier - who helped found the
Camp Hill is an area of the park that encompasses armory, Civil War, and civil rights stories. Visitors can drive there directly or hike to the area from Lower Town along the Appalachian Trail. If taking the hike, stop by <a href="https://www.nps.gov/hafe/learn/historyculture/jefferson-rock.htm">Jefferson Rock</a> to take in the scenery before exploring the former <a href="https://www.nps.gov/hafe/learn/historyculture/storer-college.htm">Storer College</a> campus or visiting the <a href="http://www.appalachiantrail.org/">Appalachian Trail Conservancy</a> .
Picnicking is available at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park at a designated picnic area adjacent to the Visitor Center parking lot. Its location by the parking lot provides ample parking for vehicles and buses. The picnic area includes 14 tables in a mostly shaded area. Restroom facilities are available at the Visitor Center plaza.
The park's Civil War Museum is indefinitely closed due to water damage. We are working on creating a virtual exhibit for the park website that contains the same information as the museum.
Permelia Eastman Cook Hall was built by Storer College in 1940 to house the physics laboratory and the home economics department. This building now serves as office space for multiple National Park Service entities including the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
The Corps of Discovery Museum features the Corps of Discovery coins that represent the established section of the army of the same name. This Corps was one of the big contributing factors to the Lewis and Clark expeditions.
This 1894 church once contained a kitchen, classroom, library, vestry room, and auditorium. Niagara Movement members worshipped here during their historic meeting in Harpers Ferry.
Step through the doors of this exhibit and be taken back in time to an 1860s store where you could buy anything from cloth and hats to spices and household items. When the exhibit is staffed, take the time to learn about the time period by chatting with the person in the store.
Start your visit to Harpers Ferry NHP here, where you can purchase your park entrance pass and proceed to park adjacent to the Visitor Center and park shuttle bus stop.
The oldest building in Harpers Ferry, this house began construction in 1775 by Robert Harper, the town's namesake. The house was finished in 1782; however, due to his passing, Harper never lived in it. The Harper House stands today as a relic of Harpers Ferry during the American Revolution.
Learn about popular industries of Harpers Ferry in 19th century! The Industry Museum showcases the factories of Virginius Island, explains how weapons were made by machine, and much more. <br /><br />Please note: the accessible entrance is on the right side of the building, follow the brick pathway toward the back of the building.
Positioned here at the end of a towering plateau, this fortification was the first earthen battery built on the mountain by the Federals in the fall of 182. Facing south, its guns "commanded perfectly the summits of Loudoun Heights as well as Bolivar Heights."A four sided earthwork forms the dominant feature of this battery. Protecting its exterior slope is a dry moat -- the widest, longest, and most uniform moat on the mountain. 30-pounder Parrotts were standard armament
On the dark, moonless night of September 14, 1862, 100 men from the 126th New York Regiment established a skirmish line here. These men were new to the war, having only been in uniform for a few short weeks. After surviving a terrifying afternoon of relentless Confederate artillery fire, these young men were thrust into a dangerous and vulnerable position on the front line. If the Confederates wanted to attack this location, this was a good time to do it.
Harpers Ferry owed its existence principally to the United States armory, which began producing small arms here in 1801. At its height, this factory produced more than 10,000 weapons a year and employed 400 workers.The armory affected the everyday lives of its workers both inside and outside the workplace, until its destruction in 1861 during the opening days of the Civil War.To learn about the armory's efforts on behalf of its workforce, walk this short trail along the Shen
The struggle of today is not altogether for today -- it is for a vast future. - Abraham Lincoln.You are standing near what was once an international border. During the Civil War, the peak to your left lay within the Union state of Maryland. Loudoun Heights to the right was claimed by the Confederate state of Virginia. Slavery divided the nation, and here at Harpers Ferry the two sides clashed over the meaning of freedom.The noise of army camp life once disturbed the quiet
Why move a building four times? What is special about the building that used to stand here? It is the only building left from the U.S. Armory and the place where John Brown's raid ended. It is the most important building in Harpers Ferry history.In it really began the Civil War. Here was lighted the torch of liberty for all America...For you this is the most hallowed shrine in this country.-Henry McDonald, Storer College presidentIn 1859 abolitionist John Brown led his famou
You are standing directly across the street from the main entrance of one of the nation's first military industrial complexes. The U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry, now covered by an embankment of dirt and rubble, produced the deadliest weapons of its day from the early 1800s until the start of the Civil War in 1861. Gutted during the Civil War, the armory was later razed and mostly covered with rubble to make way for elevated train tracks. A stone obelisk on the rise in front
Standing here on the night of April 18, 1861, you would have seen the billowing smoke as fire raged in the armory workshops upstream. Virginia had just seceded from the United States and Virginia militiamen were advancing on the armory. Vastly outnumbered and unable to defend the armory, U.S. soldiers "set fire to the Carpenter shop & grinding mill. Stocking shop, & the 2 arsenals" leaving the buildings in a "perfect heap of ruins," wrote a local resident. Arriving after t
In 1862 Union Colonel Dixon Miles thought that the ridge in front of you, Bolivar Heights, was the perfect place to defend Harpers Ferry. However, in September of '62, Colonel Miles and 14,000 Union soldiers found themselves surrounded by 24,000 Confederates led by "Stonewall" Jackson. From the Confederate position behind you on School House Ridge, one of Jackson's officers described Bolivar Heights as "a position strong by nature." Jackson agreed. He had no time for a siege
The first large scale Federal occupation of Harpers Ferry began in February 1862. Despite the destruction of the armory and arsenal the previous year, Harpers Ferry remained important in protecting Union communication and supply lines in deterring Confederate invasions of the North.The Confederates invaded the North for the first time in September 1862. By September 7, Gen. Robert E. Lee's army had crossed the Potomac River and encamped outside Frederick, Maryland. The lar
The first large-scale Federal occupation of Harpers Ferry began in February 1862. Despite the destruction of the armory and arsenal the previous year, Harpers Ferry remained important in protecting Union communication and supply lines and in deterring Confederate invasions of the North. The Confederates invaded the North for the first time in September 1862. By September 7, Gen. Robert E. Lee's army had crossed the Potomac River and encamped outside Frederick, Maryland. The l
The stone steps to your left are part of the Appalachian Trail-- a 2,200-mile footpath from Georgia to Maine. Climb the steps to some of the most scenic views in Harpers Ferry. Walk 300 yards to Jefferson Rock for a view that Thomas Jefferson described as "worth a voyage across the Atlantic." <br />Take a side trail to Lockwood House, Storer College, and the Appalachian Trail Visitor Center. Or keep walking 1,000 miles south to Springer Mountain, Georgia.
Rank has its privileges. The paymaster, second in command at the armory, enjoyed an unobstructed view of the factory grounds and the water gap from the substantial brick dwelling erected here about 1800. Soot and noise disrupted the scene with the arrival of the Winchester and Potomac Railroad through the paymaster's front yard in 1836. The paymaster relocated to new, elegant quarters on the hill overlooking the river gap. Following this move, the government leased the old st
Never had "Stonewall" Jackson faced a stronger enemy position. Arriving here on Schoolhouse Ridge on the first day of the battle, Jackson scanned Bolivar Heights (the lower ridge in front of you) and saw a dangerous enemy - 7,000 Union infantry and dozens of cannons stretched across the ridge, ready for battle. He realized a Front assault.After securing Schoolhouse Ridge with his artillery and 14,000 infantry, Jackson labored to open communications with his officers on Maryla
