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Harpers Ferry's first man-made transportation facility was the Potomac Canal. The canal ceased transportation in 1828, but a portion of it in front of the town channeled river water to run machinery for the armory.
Apr 2, 2024 · This made Harpers Ferry a vital hub for trade and transportation during the 19th century. In fact, Harpers Ferry was the site of the first and only pre-Civil War rail crossing of the Potomac River.
Apr 22, 2024 · Harpers Ferry witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable manufacture, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown's attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and the education of formerly enslaved people in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States.
- Name Origin: Harpers Ferry was named after Robert Harper, a millwright who settled in the area in the mid-18th century and established a ferry across the Potomac River.
- Strategic Location: The town’s location at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers made it a vital transportation hub, leading to its significance in both commercial and military endeavors.
- John Brown’s Raid: In 1859, abolitionist John Brown staged a raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry in an attempt to start a slave rebellion. The raid ultimately failed, but it became a catalyst for the Civil War.
- Civil War Significance: During the Civil War, Harpers Ferry changed hands between Union and Confederate forces several times, and it was the site of a significant Confederate victory in 1862.
Oct 19, 2024 · Harpers Ferry, town, Jefferson county, in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, U.S. It lies at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland converge. When the town was part of Virginia, it was the site of the Harpers.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Long before Washington and Jefferson, the Harpers Ferry site was on the natural transportation corridor connecting the frontier villages of Fredericktown [Frederick, Maryland] and Charles Town [then Virginia, now West Virginia], and continuing on to the few settlements to the southwest in the Shenandoah Valley.
The town was originally known as Shenandoah Falls at Mr. Harper's Ferry (1763) due to the ferry business Robert Harper managed and operated. Today, the original house built by Robert Harper is the oldest remaining structure in the lower part of the park.
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