John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, WV

Barry1

The quaint historic town of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia was the scene of John Brown's raid in 1859 to take the U.S. arsenal there and start an uprising he hoped would end slavery. The town is extremely well maintained by the National Park Service (and is free) and is a wonderful place to introduce school age kids and adults to town life in the Civil War era. I never tire of going there - especially with a camera. I used a Canon 40D and 17-40L lens during this trip. This is my first photo post and I hope you enjoy the photos as well as have an opportunity to visit this bit of our history.

The Potomac River at Harpers Ferry

This was downtown 150 years ago

Incredibly, most of the buildings have been saved

Uniforms for sale

Shipping and storage of the times

The watchmaker's shop

Fashion clothing of the time

Vests and pants of the 1850's/60's

Example of a factory of the era - the arsenal in town made rifles

Cloth and other sundries

This is the reconstructed firehouse where John Brown made his last stand. The interior is very small - about the size of a typical living room. Robert E. Lee was commanding the troops who rushed the door when Brown refused to surrender.

A shot of the interior of the firehouse with fire equipment of the era.

Harpers Ferry is a great place to spend a few hours with your camera

tonichelle

it's my dream to just have a few weeks and hit up all of the Civil War Era towns that are still standing (and even those that just have "ghosts" of their past)... also want another few weeks to go even further east to teh Revolution era... *sigh*

thanks for sharing!

Dee

We visited Harper's Ferry in 1961. It looks like they've made some changes since then.:-)

Barry1

Thanks for your comments - yes, Harpers Ferry is a work in progress and has changed since I first started going there as a young child. We are so fortunate to have "preserved towns" such as Jamestown, Williamsburg, Harpers Ferry and others. I'm just an amateur (and a history buff) and really enjoy places like these. Dgrin is a great place to share and to learn from others with a great deal more experience than me. Thanks.

Photog4Christ

Barry1 wrote:

.... The town is extremely well maintained by the National Park Service (and is free) ....

Actually, it isn't, but it isn't very costly either.

Park Fees

There is an honor system. That's why there are boxes in various places asking you to deposit your park fees.

PeterD-2009

Lovely series of shots there Barry. I too love to see historical items. This thread was very interesting and informative - thanks for sharing. Your images are well framed and tell the story well.

pathfinder

Harper's Ferry is one of the eastern battlefields I have not seen. Nightingale ( my SO ) is a Civil War devotee, so we've seen most of them.

Very interesting post, and I see I need to explore this area a bit.

Barry1

Thanks to everyone for your nice comments. Journeys is among the most interesting and enjoyable collections for me.

richtersl

Harper's Ferry absolutely is a wonderful place to visit with a camera. We were there a few years ago in the fall and the colors of the leaves on the hillsides were spectacular. Can't wait to head back!

aj986s

Nice pics! I was born and have lived in the DC area all my life, so have visited Harper's Ferry many times. NPS tours are well done, and the period performers are fun. While on a C&O bike trip with our Boy Scout troop some years ago, we happened to visit HF while filming was taking place for (IIRC) Gods and Generals. However HF was not one of the battles in the movie; the actual battle was elsewhere, Chancelorsville, I believe. They did an interesting job covering up store signage and lining the streets with straws. LOTS of actors in costume, and we watched several scenes being filmed, including one with explosions (styrofoam blocks shot out of a cannon) and a horse cart that flips over.

Here's a few from our visits:







If you like hiking, cross over to the MD side via the railroad bridge, and then take the trail up to Maryland Heights. The views are spectacular! Unfortunately, I've not been up there since I've gotten into in digital photos. Hmmmm.....I guess I'm going to have to rectify that.

divamum

Ooooooooo.... how did I not know that this was out there?! It's not exactly nearby, but it would make a GREAT daytrip (and is closer than W'burg which we LOVED, but is definitely too far for a daytrip)

Great shots - thanks for the visual eye-candy and the inspiration to go and check it out!

richtersl

divamum wrote:

Ooooooooo.... how did I not know that this was out there?! It's not exactly nearby, but it would make a GREAT daytrip (and is closer than W'burg which we LOVED, but is definitely too far for a daytrip)

Great shots - thanks for the visual eye-candy and the inspiration to go and check it out!

Do it!

Just so you know -- there's a large parking lot about a mile or two outside of town where you can leave your car and take a shuttle bus into Harper's Ferry. Wear a pair of sturdy shoes if you plan on climbing the hillside to Jefferson Rock. The views are stunning!

Shepherdstown, WV and Antietam are within striking distance too. I highly recommend them all!

divamum

richtersl wrote:

Do it!

Just so you know -- there's a large parking lot about a mile or two outside of town where you can leave your car and take a shuttle bus into Harper's Ferry. Wear a pair of sturdy shoes if you plan on climbing the hillside to Jefferson Rock. The views are stunning!

Shepherdstown, WV and Antietam are within striking distance too. I highly recommend them all!

Cool! I actually just looked it up and it's closer than I realised. I think we will have to try and find a Saturday to go on an expedition! Maybe the weather will hold through October....

Thanks again!

riseagainst

I live about 10 mins from harpers ferry! haa wonderful pictures!