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Harpers Ferry National Historical Park➤

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park sits at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. The park includes the historic center of Harpers Ferry, notable as a key 19th-century industrial area and as the scene of John Brown’s failed abolitionist uprising. It spans three states (West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland) and contains four national park units:

• Harpers Ferry
• Appalachian Trail
• Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP
• Potomac Heritage Trail

In 1783, Thomas Jefferson visited the area and declared, “The passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature.” Then, in 1801, the United States Armory began producing guns here.

In 1859, in protest of slavery, John Brown led a raid and captured the federal armory. He was defeated and hanged for inciting a slave uprising. Two years later, the Civil War started. Harpers Ferry sat on the boundary between the North and South and was important because of it’s manufacturing capabilities. The town changed hands eight times during the course of the war.

I visited Harpers Ferry with the National Park Travelers Club for NPTC Across America in August 2022. We started the day with a hike on the Virginius Island/AT Loop. Then we went to the visitor center for “The Story Behind the Scenery,” a ranger program. The ranger gave our group an overview of the history that made this place famous. Next we took the shuttle to Lower Town to see the historic buildings and to have lunch. After lunch, I explored the C&O Canal and Potomac Heritage Trails.

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP➤

The C&O Canal, also known as the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, ran between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland, from 1831 to 1924. It replaced the Potomac Canal, which closed down in 1828, and it primarily carried coal from the Allegheny Mountains.

Construction of the 184.5-mile-long canal began in 1828 and finished in 1850, reaching Cumberland. The canal, with an elevation change of 605 feet, required 74 locks, 11 aqueducts, over 240 culverts, and the Paw Paw Tunnel spanning 3,118 feet. Today, the canal is part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, offering a trail along its old towpath.

The C&O Canal reached Harpers Ferry in 1833, contributing to the town’s industrialization. However, the closure of the C&O Canal Company in 1924 and several floods during the 1930s halted industrial development in Harpers Ferry. Today, the national historical park encompasses almost 20,000 acres along the Potomac River, with a section of the towpath near Harpers Ferry National Historical Park also serving as part of the Appalachian Trail.

Harpers Ferry Posts>

• Virginius Island Trail
• Lower Town
• C&O Canal
• Potomac Heritage

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Location: 171 Shoreline Dr, Harpers Ferry, WV
Designation: National Historical Park
Date designated/established: June 30, 1944
Date of my visit: August 27, 2022