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

WV -- Harpers Ferry NHP -- Exterior Shots:

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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_200304_047.JPG: The train had derailed and wiped out the pedestrian bridge. There's still a debate for some reason about who should pay for the replacement.
2. HARPEX_200304_064.JPG: I'm always irked by the people who pick up their dog's poop and leave the bag there.
3. HARPEX_200304_077.JPG: Contraband: African American Lives in Limbo "Virginia... must be surrounded with glowing contraband camps. What a splendid position for such a camp in Harpers Ferry under the shadow of immortal John Brown!" -- Abolitionist Adam Gurowski, February 1863 By 1862, runaway slaves who came into United States Army lines were called contraband -- confiscated enemy property. As contraband, African Americans experienced a safety net where slave owners seeking their valuable human property were turned away. However, any African American venturing beyond the safety net of the military post, could be seized, returned to masters, or sold on an auction block. Step back to the tense days when contraband stole and defined their own freedom in the shadow of John Brown's Fort. Throughout the Civil War, runaway slaves constructed contraband camps near the iconic John Brown Fort.
4. HARPEX_200304_101.JPG: Rebuilt on Campus 1910
5. HARPEX_200304_111.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.
6. HARPEX_200304_120.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.
7. HARPEX_200304_124.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!"
8. HARPEX_200304_138.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.
9. HARPEX_200304_139.JPG: John Brown's Fort
10. HARPEX_200304_150.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."
11. HARPEX_200304_153.JPG: John Brown's Fort was moved four times, arriving at its current location in 1968.
12. HARPEX_200304_157.JPG: Inside the fire engine house, Brown and his raiders (above) exchange fire with US Marines was stormed the building (background image) to end the raid.
13. HARPEX_200304_161.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.
14. HARPEX_200304_165.JPG: 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.
15. HARPEX_200304_182.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.
16. HARPEX_200304_187.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.
17. HARPEX_200304_189.JPG: 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.
18. HARPEX_200304_193.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.
19. HARPEX_200304_203.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.
20. HARPEX_200304_229.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.
21. HARPEX_200304_243.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.
22. HARPEX_200304_250.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.
23. HARPEX_200304_255.JPG: The railroad trestle along the river wall above was supported by thick beams that were laid into the grooves in the wall in front of you.
24. HARPEX_200304_265.JPG: Tailrace Water from the canal flowed through underground tunnels, turning water wheels and powering armory machinery before it exited through tailraces.
25. HARPEX_200304_274.JPG: Warehouse Completed in 1843 the two-story building that once stood here was used "for storing iron, steel, and other supplies." During the Civil War it was also used by Union forces for storage.
26. HARPEX_200304_277.JPG: Smith and Forging Shop Completed in 1848 this was the armory's largest building, nearly 100 yards long. Here workers forged iron into gun barrels and parts.
27. HARPEX_200304_280.JPG: Railroad Embankment The B&O Railroad constructed this embankment in the 1890s, covering a large section of the original armory site and elevating their train tracks above flood levels.
28. HARPEX_200304_291.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.
29. HARPEX_200304_299.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.
30. HARPEX_200304_316.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.
31. HARPEX_200304_324.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.
32. HARPEX_200304_329.JPG: 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.
33. HARPEX_200304_336.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.
34. HARPEX_200304_338.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.
35. HARPEX_200304_341.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.
36. HARPEX_200304_348.JPG: Rifle hammers (above left) and lock plates (above middle) excavated here show how separate gun parts, made by different workers and assembled together, formed a single interchangeable unit (above right).
37. HARPEX_200304_353.JPG: 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.
38. HARPEX_200304_362.JPG: In Memory Of Pvt Luke Quinn Only Marine killed in John Brown's Raid - October 18, 1859 Pvt Luke Quinn came from Ireland in 1835, and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1855 in Brooklyn, NY. He was sent to sea duty, then transferred to Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. He came to Harpers Ferry with Lieut. Colonel Robert E. Lee, then was killed in the storming of the Engine House. His funeral was in St. Peters Catholic Church by Father Michael Costello, and he was buried in St. Peters Catholic Cemetery.
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