BGuthrie Photos: WV -- Harpers Ferry NHP -- Exterior Shots

WV -- Harpers Ferry NHP -- Exterior Shots:

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. HARPEX_120408_002.JPG: A Union Predicament "Do all you can to annoy the rebels should they advance on you...You will not abandon Harpers Ferry without defending it to the last extremity." -- Maj. Gen. John G. Wool, USA, Telegraph message to Col. Dixon S. Miles, USA, September 7, 1862 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 large Union force at Harpers Ferry, now located behind the invading Confederates, threatened Southern communication and supply lines. In response, Lee boldly divided his army into four parts, sending three columns to capture or destroy the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry.
2. HARPEX_120408_010.JPG: Confederate Victory "The Rebels were all around us and our only refuge was the open canopy of heaven." -- Sgt. Charles E. Smith, 32nd Ohio Infantry, September 14, 1862 Thousands of Federal soldiers huddled in ravines on Bolivar Heights to escape the Confederate shells of September 14, 1862. By evening, the Federals were demoralized. Pvt. Louis B. Hull of the 60th Ohio Infantry wrote in his diary at sunset: "All seem to think that we will have to surrender or be cut to pieces." By 8:00 a.m. on September 15, the situation had worsened for the surrounded and outnumbered Federals. During the night, Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill's division of 3,000 Confederates had turned the Federal left flank on the south end of Bolivar Heights. With Union artillery ammunition exhausted, the situation appeared hopeless. About 9:00 a.m., Col. Dixon S. Miles, Union commander, decided to surrender his forces. Moments later, a Confederate shell fragment wounded the Colonel. He died the next day, leaving many unanswered questions about the Federal disaster at Harpers Ferry. An unconditional surrender accepted by Stonewall Jackson from Union Brig. Gen. Julius White on School House Ridge finished the siege. The Confederates captured 73 cannon, 13,000 small arms, 200 wagons and 12,500 prisoners - the largest surrender of U.S. forces until Bataan during World War II. Jackson reviewed the captured Federal garrison on Bolivar Heights on the afternoon of September 15. On Union soldier recalled: "There we were on the hill, our arms stacked before us, and waiting. Soon the celebrated 'Stonewall' Jackson rode along our lines with his staff. He rode a cream colored horse and was plainly dressed in ... a grey dingy suit."Another soldier shouted, "Boys, he's not much for looks, but if we'd had him we wouldn't have been caught in this trap!"
3. HARPEX_120408_012.JPG: The Trap Closes "General Hill, charge and give them the bayonet." -- Major Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, September 15, 1862 Maj. Gen. A. P. Hill's division received orders from Stonewall Jackson to flank the Federal left on Bolivar Heights on Sunday afternoon, September 14, 1862. Although his Confederate army surrounded the 14,000 - man garrison. Jackson realized an artillery bombardment alone would not force a Union surrender. About 4:00 p.m., Hill's division of 3,000 soldiers sung right toward the Shenandoah River using School House Ridge as cover. Then, as Jackson staged a feint attack to distract the shell-shocked Federals, Hill's men quietly marched along the river bluffs to gain the Union rear on Bolivar Heights. At dusk, the Confederates approached the Chambers (Murphy) Farm located 400 yards in front of you. General Hill discovered the farm "bare of all earthwork, the only obstacles being...fallen timber." Despite several volleys from the surprises Federals on Bolivar Heights, the Confederates occupied this hill after darkness. During the night of September 14, the Confederates dragged and pulled five artillery batteries up ravines to commanding ground at the Chambers Farm. With his infantry in position and artillery aimed at the Federals' exposed flank, Hill wrote confidently that "the fate of Harpers Ferry was sealed."
4. HARPEX_120408_050.JPG: Floods Waterpower built this town, and the power of the water eventually destroyed it. The destruction of the Federal Armory during the Civil War began the town's decline. Many people who had left Harpers Ferry during the war did return, only to be driven away again - and this time permanently - by the devastating flood of 1870 and those that soon followed. Harpers Ferry never fully recovered.
5. HARPEX_120408_091.JPG: Burned, Flooded, and Leveled The stone and brick walls in front of you show the outline of the Small Arsenal. The actual foundation of this former weapons storehouse lies below ground. In 1959, National Park Service archeologists first excavated the foundation -- 100 years after John Brown's raid. The 1959 excavation report describes the intensity of the fire that destroyed the building in 1861. The fire "baked red" the top layer of clay and left behind "twisted and partly melted muskets and parts, some of them fused into each other." The report suggests that the building's slate roof, brick walls and drafts from the cellar windows created a "furnace effect" leaving behind only a shell of the building. Floods swept through the building shell twice before federal troops leveled it. In 2009, National Park Service specialists constructed this partial representation of the small arsenal based on evidence from archeological excavations.
6. HARPEX_120408_103.JPG: Large Arsenal Serious problems plagued the weapons stored in this two-story structure built in 1799. Floods and high humidity posed constant threats. Sparks from wood-burning locomotives presented a fire hazard. Inadequate storage space caused overcrowding and improper maintenance. United States troops burned the structure in 1861 during the Civil War to prevent its seizure by Virginia forces, but later reroofed it and used it as a bakery to produce soft bread for Union troops operating in the Shenandoah Valley.
7. HARPEX_120408_107.JPG: 3. Meriwether Lewis at Harpers Ferry Large Arsenal Foundation Completed in 1800, the 2 1/2-story, brick arsenal building stored weapons made for the security and survival of a young United States of America. Lewis procured 15 rifles from this stockpile. They were the first and most essential weapons his soldiers needed to survive on their wilderness journey.
8. HARPEX_120408_123.JPG: Restored by Kate Field 1895 Kate Field From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kate Field (October 1, 1838 – May 19, 1896), born Mary Katherine Keemle Field, was an American journalist, lecturer, and actress, of eccentric talent. She was born in St. Louis, Mo., the daughter of Joseph M. Field, was educated in New England and in England, and prolonged her stay in Europe as correspondent of various American newspapers, writing also for magazines. On her return she gave lectures and public readings and in 1874 appeared as Peg Woffington at Booth's Theatre, New York. She afterward abandoned the regular comedy for dance, song, and recitation, but achieved no striking success. In 1882-83 she headed a Co�perative Dress Association in New York, which achieved a conspicuous failure. In 1889 she established Kate Field's Washington, a weekly journal published in the capital. After 1868 she published numerous volumes of miscellaneous contents, no longer noteworthy. Kate Field never married. In October 1860, while visiting his mother's home in Florence, Italy, the celebrated British novelist Anthony Trollope met Kate. She became one of his closest friends and was the subject of Trollope's high esteem, as noted in his "Autobiography": "There is an American woman, of whom not to speak in a work purporting to [be] a memoir of my own life would be to omit all allusion to one of the chief pleasures which has graced my later years." Trollope scholars have speculated on the nature of their warm friendship. Twenty-four of his letters to Kate survive, at the Boston Public Library; hers to Trollope do not. Kate Field died of pneumonia in 1896.
9. HARPEX_120408_128.JPG: Rebuilt on campus 1910 [This was when it was installed on Storer College]
10. HARPEX_120408_148.JPG: A Nation's Armory 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 of you marks the original location of what became known as John Brown's Fort.
11. HARPEX_120408_159.JPG: John Brown Fort: Here is a building with a curious past. Since its construction in 1848, it has been vandalized, dismantled, and moved four times - all because of its fame as John Brown's stronghold. The Fort's "Movements" 1848 Built as fire-engine house for U.S. Armory. 1859 Serves as stronghold for John Brown and his raiders. 1861-1865 Escapes destruction during the Civil War (only armory building to do so), but it is vandalized by souvenir-hunting Union and Confederate soldiers and later travelers. 1891 Dismantled and transported to Chicago Exposition. 1895 Rescued from conversion to stable and brought back to Harpers Ferry area to be exhibited on a farm. 1909 Purchased by Storer College and moved to campus. 1968 Moved by National Park Service to within 150 feet of its original location.
12. HARPEX_120408_178.JPG: Capture of Harper's Ferry September 15, 1862 No. 1 On September 10, 1862 General R. E. Lee, Commanding the Army of Northern Virginia then at Frederick Md. set three columns in motion to capture Harper's Ferry. Maj. Gen L. McLaws with his own Division and that of Maj. Gen. R. H. Anderson, marched through Middletown and Brownsville Pass into Pleasant Valley. On the 12th, the Brigades of Kershaw and Barksdale ascended Maryland Heights by Solomon's Gap, moved along the crest and, at nightfall were checked by the Union forces under command of Col. T. H. Ford, about two miles north of this. Eight Confederate Brigades held Weaverton, Sandy Hook and approaches from the east. On the 13th, Kershaw and Barksdale drove the Union Troops from the Heights. Ford, abandoning seven guns, retreated across the pontoon bridge, a few yards above the railroad bridge, to Harpers Ferry. The Union loss was 38 killed, 134 wounded; Confederate loss 35 killed, 178 wounded. Brig. Gen. John G. Walker's Division crossed the Potomac at Point of Rocks, 10 miles below this during the night of September 10, and, on the 13th occupied Loudoun Heights and the roads south of the river leading east and south.
13. HARPEX_120408_181.JPG: Capture of Harper's Ferry September 15, 1862 No. 2 Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, with his own Division and those of Maj. Gen. A. P. Hill and R. S. Ewell, left Frederick on the morning of September 10 and passing through Middletown and Boonsboro crossed the Potomac at Williamsport, 21 miles north of this. On the afternoon of the 11th, Hill's Division took the direct road to Martinsburg and bivouacked near it. Jackson's and Ewell's Divisions marched to North Mountain Depot on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad seven miles Northeast of Martinsburg, and bivouacked. During the night Brig. Gen. Julius White, Commanding the Union Troops at Martinsburg, about 2,500 in number abandoned the place and retreated to Harpers Ferry. Jackson occupied Martinsburg on the morning of the 12th, passed through it and about noon of the 13th A. P. Hill's Division, in the advance, reached Halltown, 3-1/4 miles West of this and went into camp. Jackson's and Ewell's Division following Hill's, encamped near it.
14. HARPEX_120408_184.JPG: Capture of Harper's Ferry September 15, 1862 No. 3 Col. Dixon S. Miles, Second U. S. Infantry, commanded the Union forces at Harpers Ferry. After Gen. White joined from Martinsburg, September 12 and Col. Ford from Maryland Heights on the 13th, Miles had about 14,200 men. On the morning of the 14th, the greater part of this force was in position on Bolivar Heights 15/8 miles west, its right resting on the Potomac, its left near the Shenandoah; Artillery distributed on the line. Artillery and a small force of Infantry occupied Camp Hill, nearly midway between this and Bolivar Heights. The Cavalry was under partial cover of the irregularities of the ground. On the morning of the 14th Walker placed five long range guns near the northern part of Loudon Heights, and, at 1 P.M., opened on the Union Batteries on Bolivar Heights and Camp Hill, which was replied to. An hour later Jackson's Artillery opened on Bolivar Heights from School House Hill and, still an hour later, McLaws opened from two Parrott Guns that he had succeeded in placing near the southern extremity of Maryland Heights. The fire from these three Divisions was continued until dark silencing and dismounting some of the Union Guns.
15. HARPEX_120408_187.JPG: Capture of Harper's Ferry September 15, 1862 No. 4 In the afternoon of the 14th Jackson's Division advanced its left, seized commanding ground near the Potomac and established Artillery upon it. Hill's Division moved from Halltown obliquely to the right until it struck the Shenandoah, then pushed along the river; the advance, after some sharp skirmishing late in the night gained high ground upon which were placed five Batteries. Commanding the left rear of the Union line. Ewell's Division advanced through Halltown to School House Hill and deployed about one mile on front of Bolivar Heights, bivouacking on either side of the Charlestown Road. During the night the Confederates advanced on the right and left gaining some ground, and 10 guns of Ewell's Division crossed the Shenandoah at Key's Ford and were placed on the plateau at the foot of Loudon Heights to enfilade the entire Position on Bolivar Heights. About 9 P.M. the entire Union Cavalry force, about 1500 men, crossed the Pontoon Bridge, passed up the canal bank about a mile followed the mountain road near the river, crossed the Antietam near its mouth, passed through Sharpsburg about midnight and escaped into Pennsylvania.
16. HARPEX_120408_191.JPG: Capture of Harper's Ferry September 15, 1862 No. 5 Capture of Harpers Ferry September 15, 1862 No. 5 At daylight, September 15, three Batteries of Jackson's Division delivered a severe fire against the right of the Bolivar Heights defense. Ewell's Batteries opened from School House Hill in front. Hill's five Batteries on ground commanding the left of the line and the 10 guns across the Shenandoah poured an accurate enfilade fire upon the left and rear of Miles' defenses. The Artillery on Loudoun Heights and Maryland Heights, joined the attack. This concentrated fire of 58 guns was responded to by the Union guns but, in an hour, beginning to run short of ammunition Miles raised the white flag in token of surrender. Soon after he was mortally wounded and the command devolved on General White who completed the terms of capitulation by the surrender of about 12,500 Officers and men and all public property. Hill's Division was left to parole the prisoners, while Jackson with five Divisions marched to the field of Antietam. Exclusive of the loss on Maryland Heights, the Union loss was 9 killed, 39 wounded; Confederate loss 6 killed, 69 wounded.
17. HARPEX_120408_194.JPG: Early Travel Situated in a gap of the Blue Ridge Mountains and at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, Harpers Ferry, from its beginning, functioned as a natural avenue of transportation. The first mode of travel consisted of a primitive ferry established in 1733 by Peter Stephens. Stephens sold his business to Robert Harper in 1747, and Harper and others carried settlers and supplies across the waters until 1824 when a bridge constructed across the Potomac made ferryboat operations unnecessary. In less than a decade after the completion of the bridge, the iron horse and the mule brought the transportation revolution to Harpers Ferry.
18. HARPEX_120408_196.JPG: The Race to the Ohio Rail transportation in the United States began in Baltimore, Maryland on July 4, 1828, when Charles Carroll, the only living signer of the Declaration of Independence, laid the cornerstone of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. On the same day President John Quincy Adams turned the first spade of earth along the Potomac River for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The race was underway as the progressive railroad and the traditional canal struggled to become the first to connect the Ohio Valley with the east coast. Harpers Ferry was one of the first milestones of that race.
19. HARPEX_120408_199.JPG: The Iron Horse Wins Work on the railroad and canal progressed slowly at first, but by 1834 both companies had completed construction to a point opposite Harpers Ferry. The canal had won the race to this point and it continued up the Maryland side of the Potomac. The B&O Railroad, plagued by land disputes with the canal, crossed the Potomac at Harpers Ferry in 1837 and rapidly pushed on. By 1842 it reached Cumberland, Maryland, and a decade later the railroad was open to Wheeling on the Ohio River. Business boomed at Harpers Ferry with the arrival of the railroad Refrigerated cars brought oysters and other luxuries to the town. Thousands of travelers visited Harpers Ferry as it became a gateway to the Ohio Valley. The Civil War shattered Harpers Ferry's prosperity. Much of the town was destroyed, and Confederate raiders constantly sabotaged the railroad. Despite the war, the railroad escaped permanent damage, and the B&O survives today as a main artery of transportation in the United States.
20. HARPEX_120408_205.JPG: The Mule Falters As the railroad streaked westward from Harpers Ferry, the C&O Canal fell hopelessly behind in the race for Ohio. Burdened by a lack of building supplies and a scarcity of skilled labor, the canal encountered serious financial problems and did not reach Cumberland, Maryland until 1850 --- eight years after the railroad reached that point. Plans to continue further westward were abandoned. Made obsolete by the faster and less expensive railroad, the C&O Canal never attained any great measure of economic success, but did transport coal, flour, grain, and lumber to Washington for nearly 90 years. Canal operations ceased in 1924 when a flood devastated the Potomac Valley, leaving the canal in ruins.
21. HARPEX_120408_209.JPG: 2. Meriwether Lewis at Harpers Ferry The Point Today's view of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers passing through the water gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains has changed little from Meriwether Lewis' view in 1803. Lewis hoped to find a similar, accessible trade route on rivers passing through the Rocky Mountains.
22. HARPEX_120408_282.JPG: Built by the Pencoyd Bridge & Construction Co., Pencoyd PA 1893
23. HARPEX_120408_465.JPG: That this nation might have a new birth of freedom, that slavery should be removed forever from American soil, John Brown and his 21 men gave their lives. To commemorate their heroism this tablet is placed on this building has has since been known as John Brown's Fort by the alumni of Storer College 1919.
24. HARPEX_120408_478.JPG: John Brown's Last Stand You are in the line of fire. The stone marker in front of you identifies the original site of the armory fire engine house - now known as John Brown's Fort. Barricaded inside the fort, abolitionist John Brown and his men held off local militia and U.S. Marines for three days in October 1859. Brown's men fired from inside the fort at militiamen and townspeople who shot back from positions around you. Finally, U.S. Marines stormed past where you stand, battered down the door, and captured Brown and his few remaining men. Famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass later proclaimed that Brown's fight here began "the war the ended slavery."
25. HARPEX_120408_482.JPG: Short-lived Sanctuary Thousands of enslaved people fled to the Union lines at Harpers Ferry during the Civil War. Some of them found shelter in the "contraband camp" located near here in the shadow of John Brown's Fort. Their freedom and safety were always in jeopardy. Any withdrawal of the Union forces left them vulnerable to slave-catchers, notorious for capturing people of color and selling them into slavery. After the confederate capture of Harpers Ferry in 1862, Union Colonel William Trimble recalled watching "hundreds of men, women, and children, bond and free, driven past; their bowed heads and sad countenances telling the tale of their disappointed hopes." The Union Army classified people who fled slavery and sought shelter with the Army as "contrabands." To house them the Army created temporary "contraband camps" like this one in Harpers Ferry. The young boy (back left) pictured with Union Troops at Harpers Ferry is one of thousands who sought employment and relative safety with the Union.
26. HARPEX_120408_495.JPG: John Brown Monument Commemorated here is the original location of the "John Brown Fort"--the Federal Armory's fire engine house where abolitionist John Brown and his raiders were captured by the U.S. Marines on October 18, 1859. If you look to the south, you will see the Fort about 150 feet from here. The Fort was first moved in 1891 and its original foundation covered by the railroad in 1892.
27. HARPEX_120408_503.JPG: Six Acres That Changed The World Along this path lie the remains of revolutions. Six acres of the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry have been reduced to rubble. Buildings that buzzed with activity and innovation now lie covered with dirt. Train tracks that pushed to the edge of a new frontier lie abandoned. A stone marker stands where John Brown and his men struck their blow against slavery heralding new birth for the nation and new freedom for all its people. (Timeline): 1795 "A place of immense strength" George Washington chose Harpers Ferry as the site for the nation's second national armory. 1803 "Manufactured for me at this place" Meriwether Lewis supplied his Corps of Discovery with guns and other goods produced here at the Harpers Ferry armory. 1819 "A greater degree of perfection...." Inventor John Hall's new method of "fabricating arms exactly alike" revolutionized industry and pitted man against machine. 1836 "The Great National Project" The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad rumbled through the armory grounds, racing west against the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. 1859 "Slavery is a state of war" John Brown's attempt to end slavery by attacking the armory catapulted the nation into civil war. 1861 "Our armory is burnt" Virginia militiamen descended on Harpers Ferry to seize arms and equipment from the federal armory. Retreating Federals set fire to the armory and arsenal.
28. HARPEX_120408_512.JPG: 5. Meriwether Lewis at Harpers Ferry Armory Grounds The United States Armory was the main reason Lewis came to Harpers Ferry. He needed dependable weapons and supplies 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. Their foundations are upstream and underneath the existing railroad embankment.
29. HARPEX_120408_519.JPG: 6. Meriwether Lewis at Harpers Ferry Home of Joseph Perkins, Armory Superintendent Armory Superintendent Joseph Perkins lived in a converted warehouse on this spot from 1801-1806. The day Lewis arrived, March 16, 1803, he hand-delivered a letter from the Secretary of War directing Perkins to provide "arms & iron work... with the least possible delay." Lewis may have stayed here while he was in Harpers Ferry.
30. HARPEX_120408_532.JPG: Daring Escapes The boat ramp in front of you was the site of two daring escapes in the Battle of Harpers Ferry. Under the cover of darkness, 1,400 Union cavalrymen fled on horseback down the ramp. crossing a pontoon bridge into Maryland on September 14, 1862. The next day Confederates captured the remaining 12,500 Union soldiers. Among them were free black laborers, working for Union Colonel William Trimble's regiment. Here at this ramp Confederate soldiers began dragging the free black laborers away. falsely claiming the Union was "stealing their slaves." Colonel Trimble shouted "My men are unarmed - I am not. Unhand them!" Then he ordered "Regiment march," swiftly moving both the laborers and the soldiers past the Confederate guards, down this ramp, and across the bridge to safety in the North.
31. HARPEX_120408_572.JPG: My Favorite Boat The metal boat frame to your right is a replica of a collapsible boat built here for Lewis and Clark. Menwether Lewis came to the armory in 1803 to prepare for an epic cross-continent journey and oversee the construction and testing of the boat. Lewis successfully tested it in the nearby Potomac River. Unfortunately the boat failed them in the wild. Lewis wrote "She leaked in such manner that she would not answer ... [I] relinquished all further hope of my favorite boat.." He ordered his men to dig a cache and bury the frame along a Missouri River bank. The original boat frame has never been found. Meriwether Lewis (left) designed the collapsible boat himself and oversaw construction of its frame at Harpers Ferry armory in 1803. During testing here the metal frame was covered with animal hides and sealed with pine-pitch to make it water tight.
32. HARPEX_120408_584.JPG: Racing West On this spot in 1838 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) pulled into the lead in the race for transportation industry dominance with the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal (C&O). Denied across to the Maryland side of the river, the B&O struck a deal with the armory to build an elevated train trestle on the river wall beneath your feet. Continuing west along what was then the Virginia side of the river, the B&O Railroad quickly passed the C&O Canal and won the race west, becoming the first successful railroad in the United States.
33. HARPEX_120408_594.JPG: Power of the Potomac The Potomac River races east past you with enough mountain-carving power to punch through the entire Blue Ridge to your right. Such energy easily powered the entire national armory from the early 1800s until 1861. Diverted by a dam upstream, river water flowed through the armory canal, dropping 22 feet over 1.5 miles. This falling water coursed through headraces (entry points) and followed underground tunnels, turning water wheels and turbines as it flowed through pipes in the armory factories. Finally the water exited the armory grounds through the tailraces (exit points) to rejoin the Potomac River. Water flowed into the armory buildings like the Stock House (above) through a series of tunnels and pipes, turning gears and powering machinery on the factory floors.
34. HARPEX_120408_598.JPG: Chimney The 90-foot chimney that once stood here towered over the Smith and Forging Shop, dominating scenery from 1846 until it was torn down in the 1890s.
35. HARPEX_120408_625.JPG: Found Underground The ground around you hides the remains of the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry. Beneath the surface archeologists discovered walls, floors, pipes, and the base of a massive 90-foot chimney. As the team slowly and painstakingly excavated small pits throughout the site, the uncovered over 28,000 artifacts - some in almost pristine condition - providing a glimpse into the past. Artifacts found here include (clockwise): a bone-handled toothbrush, and apothecary's weight, a carved pipe bowl, a file modified into a wrench, printer type, and a lice comb. National Park Service archeologists began their excavation in 2005, exposing corners, floors and doorways of the Warehouse and the Smith Forging Shop. They later refilled the pits to preserve the site. Archeologists found this fragment of ceramic (above). It is identified by its maker's mark, which matches an 1827 English plate commemorating the founding of the B&O Railroad.
36. HARPEX_120408_628.JPG: A Perfect Heap of Ruins Standing here on the night of April 18, 1861, you would have seen 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 the Federals retreated and the fire had consumed most of the 15,000 rifles stored in the arsenal, the Virginia Militia later stripped the armory of its valuable machinery. An Armory worker lamented the destruction of the armory "Our armory is burnt and we have no money and no nothing else." The armory never operated again. Civil War-era artifacts excavated here reveal heavy use of the armory site by U.S. soldiers throughout the war. They left behind many items like (clockwise above): eagle breast plate, bullets, uniform insignia, U.S. buckle, bugle mouthpiece.
37. HARPEX_120408_633.JPG: Civil War-era artifacts excavated here reveal heavy use of the armory site by U.S. soldiers throughout the war. They left behind many items like (clockwise above): eagle breast plate, bullets, uniform insignia, U.S. buckle, bugle mouthpiece.
38. HARPEX_120408_640.JPG: By the aid of these machines... Beneath your feet lie the foundations of the Smith and Forging Shop. The largest building in the armory, it reflected changing methods of manufacturing. In the armory's early days, gun making was slow and labor intensive. Armorers worked in small workshops handcrafting one gun at a time. Then in 1819, while working in Harpers Ferry, inventor John Hall developed machine-made weapons with interchangeable parts. He boasted that "one boy by the aid of these machines can perform more work than ten men." Hall's new machines began the industrial revolution and inspired countless innovations in machinery and industry.
39. HARPEX_120408_648.JPG: Mere Machines of Labor Work in the Smith and Forging Shop that stood here was dirty, smoky, noisy, and dangerous. Worse still, in the early 1800s armorers changed from skilled craftsmen - creating unique handcrafted weapons - into wage laborers tending machines for less pay. Calling themselves "mere machines of labor" armory workers took their complaints directly to U.S. President John Tyler in 1842. Tyler dismissed them saying the workers "must go home and hammer out their own salvation." Conditions did not improve and armorers kept working in the factories until the armory was destroyed at the start of the Civil War in 1861. Horrible Assassination! A murder was perpetrated at Harpers Ferry Friday last.... Thomas B. Dunn, Esq. Superintendent of the Armory, was shot through the heart while sitting in his office in open day! Virginia Free Press February 7, 1830.
40. HARPEX_120408_695.JPG: Lewis and Clark Meriwether Lewis arrived March 16, 1803. Oversaw building of collapsible iron framed, skin-clad boat and acquired supplies, tomahawks, and rifles. Left for Pennsylvania on April 18; returned July 7 to gather materials and left next day for Pittsburgh. Followed Ohio to Falls; met William Clark for trip to explore and study land, waterways, animal life, natural features and resources of West.
41. HARPEX_120408_704.JPG: On the night of October 16, 1859, Heyward Shepherd, and industrious and respected Colored freeman, was mortally wounded by John Brown's raiders in pursuance of his duties as an employee of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. He became the first victim of this attempted insurrection. This boulder is erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans as a memorial to Heyward Shepherd, exemplifying the character and faithfulness of thousands of Negroes who, under many temptations throughout subsequent years of war, so conducted themselves that no stain was left upon a record which is the peculiar heritage of the American people, and an everlasting tribute to the best of both races.
42. HARPEX_120408_711.JPG: Harpers Ferry History Heyward Shepherd On October 17, 1859, abolitionist John Brown attacked Harper's Ferry to launch a war against slavery, Heyward Shepherd, a free African American railroad baggage master, was shot and killed by Brown's men shortly after midnight. Seventy-two years later, on October 10, 1931, a crowd estimated to include 300 whites and 100 blacks gathered to unveil and dedicate the Heyward Shepherd monument. During the ceremony, voices raised to praise and denounce the monument. Conceived around the turn of the century, the monument has endured controversy. In 1905, the United Daughters of the Confederacy stated that "erecting the monument would influence for good the present and coming generations, and prove that the people of the South who owned slaves valued and respected their good qualities as no one else ever did or will do." Another Perspective In 1932, W.E.B. DuBois founder of the Niagara Movement and a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), responded to the Shepherd monument by penning these words: Here, John Brown aimed at human slavery a blow that woke a guilty nation. With him fought seven slaves and sons of slaves. Over his crucified corpse marched 200,000 Black soldiers and 4,000,000 freedmen singing: "John Brown's body lies a mouldering in the grave, but his soul goes marching on!"
43. HARPEX_120408_726.JPG: "A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step" -- Lao Tau 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." Take the trail to Lockwood House, Storer College, and the Appalachian Trail Visitor Center. Or keep walking 1,000 miles south to Springer Mountain, Georgia. Begin your journey here.
44. HARPEX_120408_838.JPG: "Worth a voyage across the Atlantic" -- Thomas Jefferson, 1783 Explore historic Harpers Ferry through exhibits, films and ranger programs. Start at the Information Center here in the Lower Town where you can pick up park maps and brochures. Civil War Life: A short walk from here brings you to John Brown's Fort, where Brown and his men made their stand against slavery. Experience the raid at the John Brown Museum through film and interactive exhibits. Immerse yourself in Harpers Ferry by exploring the town's restored buildings and their exhibits. See the park film in the Place in Time building, visit the Dry Goods Store and walk the armory grounds trail. Ranger Programs: The National Park Service offers a variety of talks and town tours. Check the Information Center for today's schedule. Sightseeing: Walk to Jefferson Rock for some of the best scenery in the park. Stroll to The Point to see where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers flow together. Follow the Appalachian Trail across the Potomac River footbridge, bike the C&O Canal along the Potomac River, or hike two miles up to the Maryland Heights overlook for panoramic views of the rivers and town.
45. HARPEX_120408_845.JPG: History in the Mountains "I will pledge myself that there is not a spot in the United States which combines more or greater requisites...." -- George Washington, May 5, 1798 Harpers Ferry's history and geography have influenced each other for more than 250 years. Early settlers crossed these mountains and operated ferries across the rivers. George Washington, impressed with the area's natural resources, convinced Congress to establish a U.S. armory and arsenal here. The Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, which cut the gap through the Blue Ridge, provided the water power for industry at Harpers Ferry. But Harpers Ferry's location had disadvantages too. The rivers that powered the factories brought frequent floods. The armory and defensible mountains attracted John Brown and his plan to end slavery. The mountain gap, armory, railroad, and canal made the area a military target during the Civil War. After the war had stripped the mountains of their trees and destroyed the town's industry, only Storer College and its education of former slaves provided hope for Harpers Ferry. During your visit, look for the intermingling of geography and history - it is the story of Harpers Ferry.
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2012 photos: Equipment this year: My mainstays were the Fuji S100fs, Nikon D7000, and the new Fuji X-S1. I also used an underwater Fuji XP50 and a Nikon D600. The first three cameras all broke this year and had to be repaired. Trips this year: three Civil War Trust conferences (Shepherdstown, WV, Richmond, VA, and Williamsburg, VA), a week-long family reunion cruise of the Caribbean, another week-long family reunion in the Wisconsin Dells (with lots of in-transit time in Ohio and Indiana), and my 7th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including side trips to Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, etc). Ego strokes: I had a picture of Miss DC, Ashley Boalch, published in the Washington Post. I had a photograph of the George Segal San Francisco Holocaust memorial used as the cover of Quebec Francais (issue 165). Not being able to read French, I'm not entirely sure what the article is about but, hey! And I guess what could be considered to be a positive thing, my site is now established enough that spammers have noticed it and I had to block 17,000 file description postings for Viagra and whatever else.. Number of photos taken this year: just below 410,000.
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