Existing comment:
The sign by this grave says:
Harper Cemetery
Passing through this region in 1747, Robert Harper -- a Pennsylvania architect contracted to build a Quaker church in the Shenandoah Valley -- was so impressed by the beauty of this place and the water-powered potential of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers that he settled here and founded Harpers Ferry.
When Harper died in 1782, there were only three homes in the town. Optimistic about the community's potential for growth, however, Harper had set aside this 4-acre cemetery. Childless, Harper left most of his estate to his niece, Sarah, who subsequently married a Wager. As you wonder around this cemetery, you'll find the grave markers of some of Sarah Wager's descendents as well as stones of Irish and German immigrants who settles in this area during the 1830's. |