Existing comment:
Wherever you go in Harpers Ferry, you will discover connections between the land and the people. The rocks determine the lay of the land and the course of the rivers, thus dictating where people would live and how the history would unfold. The rivers ruled Lower Town and Virginius Island, providing the energy for business, and then destroying that industry with floods. Canals and railroads skirted the hills and clung to the water's edge. The canals had to have the water, while the trains were faster and safer on higher ground. The high ground on Camp Hill, Maryland, Loudoun, Bolivar, and Cavalier Heights figured in the strategy of war and gave residents a place of refuge from recurring floods. Take note of the sites you visit and see how each one affected the stories that occurred here. |