Wednesday, September 7, 2022
The cloudy rainy weather continued through the night and all of today. After breakfast, we drove to the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park Visitor Center. A friendly and informative hostess loaded us up with brochures and maps while suggesting lots of activities to keep us busy during the remaining two days of our stay here. We opted to drive our car from the Visitor Center to Lower Town rather than the free bus. After all, as a result yesterday’s reconnaissance visit, I knew where to park. We left the car in the train station parking lot with my NPS Senior Pass on the dashboard to avoid getting a parking ticket like the ones we observed on several car windshields. The tracks behind the station were very busy, mostly with CSX freight trains, but also with some Amtrack passenger trains. We took a quick tour through the quaint station before proceeding down Potomac Street which is lined with food and shopping and where I had rambled around yesterday. Along the river side of the street lay the remains the U.S. Armory, one of our nation’s first military industrial complexes. While it produced some of the deadliest weapons of the day, it was destroyed during the Civil War.
 |
| Visitor Center for Harpers Ferry National Historic Park |
 |
| Harpers Ferry Train Station |
 |
| The Train Station Waiting Room |
 |
| Potomac Street |
Harpers Ferry historic importance has, in part, resulted from its unique geographic location. It stands on the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers that have carved an enormous gap into the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is also at the intersection of three states (WV, VA & MD) and four national parks. Today it remains a popular passage for hikers on the C & O Canal, the Appalachian Trail and the Potomac Heritage Trial. It is a popular stop along the AT and the trail’s “psychological midpoint”, 1,167 miles from its Maine north end and 1, 025 miles from its Georgia south end. Harpers Ferry is also a present-day transportation portal for highways and railroads.
Despite the rainy conditions, Jane and I lingered at the confluence enjoying the view. We partially crossed the Potomac River on a foot bridge opting to completely cross over tomorrow when the weather is expected to be better. We were awed by the merging of these two mighty rivers under the towering Blue Ridge and swirling storm clouds.
 |
| Crossing the Potomac River |
 |
| The Confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers |
 |
| The Faded Advertisement on the Cliff Face once read “Mennen’s Borated Talcum Toilet Powder” |
Near the river confluence is the John Brown Monument, the John Brown “Fort” and the John Brown Museum. The monument was a simple obelisk erected at the site of the original “fort”. The “fort”, which has been moved several times, but now resides about 150 feet from its original site is basically an old firehouse that the raiders had sieged.
The Museum documented John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry via displays and three videos in separate rooms. (We missed the first video.) John Brown was an abolitionist that led an armed band of 23 men in the Harpers Ferry raid with the goal of seizing the U.S. Government Armory and Arsenal and begin freeing slaves. The unsuccessful raid was over in 36 hours and John Brown was captured, found guilty of treason, and executed. Although Brown failed to free any slaves, his efforts sharpened the divisions between the North and the South over slavery and contributed to the disintegration of the Union and the outbreak of the Civil War two years later.
 |
| John Brown’s “Fort” |
 |
| The John Brown Museum on Shenandoah Street |
 |
| Museum Mural |
 |
Colored Lights tracing Positions accompanied the Narration
of the Story of John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry |
We had worked up an appetite and thirst from our geographic and historical education and so stopped at “Almost Heaven Pub”. We entered at street level and climbed a narrow wooden stairwell up to a small dining area where we enjoyed lunch and a beer. Afterwards, we continued exploring the historic national park walking through various buildings with period displays. We also toured a museum about Storer College founded in Harpers Ferry after the Civil War to educate newly freed people. The college operated until the Supreme Court ruled to racially integrate all public schools. Jane soon spotted an ice cream shoppe so we took a a quick break (I had a cup of coffee) before continuing our Lower Town explorations,
 |
| Getting Hungry … |
 |
| … and Thirsty |
 |
| Dry Goods Store |
 |
| Jane always loves visiting the Hardware Store |
 |
| High Street |
After departing Lower Town, we engaged in the 6.8-mile Civil War Battlefield Auto Tour. Jane drove while I read driving directions and descriptions for each of the five stops. We only got out of the car for Stop 1 because Jane quickly lost interest and the conditions were wet. After the auto-tour, we headed back to the RV campground passing through the small 11-foot tall tunnel. We sat outside our motorhome under the canopy enjoying a beer and the Potomac River view (and Tower 6). After dinner, I blogged while Jane watched television. The reception of Baltimore channels through our antenna was surprisingly good.
 |
| Primary U.S. Defensive Line (Bolivar Heights) during the Civil War Battle of Harpers Ferry |
 |
| One-lane 11-foot-high Can Opener near our Campground |