Existing comment:
The United States Armory at Harpers Ferry in 1859.
The building on the left, with the wagon in front of it, is the fire engine house where John Brown, his men, and several hostages holes up during the raid. The buildings on the right are part of the small-arms factory.
This is a segment of the entrance gate to the United States Armory at Harpers Ferry. When John Brown and his men entered the grounds of the armory, they began an armed insurrection against the government of the United States.
This gate was preserved by the Alexander Murphy family for over a century.
In the late 1880s, Alexander Murphy purchased the gates and wrought-iron fence surrounding the armory. The Murphy heirs held and preserved the gates over the next century. In 1991, the family presented this original main gate of the United States Armory to the American people for the educational enrichment of this and future generations. |