Existing comment:
A Place in Time: Harpers Ferry:
"The fact that Harpers Ferry was first and foremost an industrial village during the 19th century is not apparent in the sights, sounds or smells of the town today. Quiet streets, neat stone and brick buildings, and splendid setting... give few hints of an industrial past."
-- David T. Gilbert, A Walker's Guide to Harpers Ferry, 1995
Streaming water has sculpted the land and life in this place. Striving generations have shaped the spirit of this town. A nation's struggles and the forces of nature have tested and tempered it. Today, Harpers Ferry bears the watermarks of time, and tells a wondrous tale.
The meeting of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers was first a signpost on footpaths and waterways of Native Americans and pioneers. Later, settlers built a bustling hub of rail and canal traffic at the rivers' junction, and harnessed waterpower for mills and factories. War and floods devastated the growing town; scenic beauty and historic significance rescued it.
Traces of Harpers Ferry's fluid history often lie hidden in the modern landscape. This exhibit offers clues to help unearth them. |