Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, is probably one of my favorite places. It lies at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, which also just happens to be an area where Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland all come together. The town perches amidst the Blue Ridge Mountains, with heights towering above. One overlooking mountain face has a large advertising mural that was painted around the beginning of the 1900’s.
The town is probably best known for it’s part in the Civil War. But, I’ll quote from the National Park Service, the town has seen so much more history than that:
It is more than one event, one date, or one individual. It is multi-layered – involving a diverse number of people and events that influenced the course of our nation’s history. 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 former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States.
I’m not sure why Harpers Ferry has such appeal for me. The rivers, mountains and forests definitely have appeal. The historic feel of all of the old buildings certainly holds an appeal. I found magic in the town, wandering amongst the stores aimed at tourists. I found a pottery shop that completely captured my interest. Actually, I was so intrigued by the dragons that the potter had on display that I insisted my mom and dad drive me back to Harpers Ferry months later, after I had saved up the money to buy one. I searched online today for that shop, but did not find it. I did find two other pottery shops listed in the town though.
Certainly, if you’re ever near Washington, D.C., you should try to visit Harpers Ferry. It’s not much more than an hour’s drive away. The experience of Harpers Ferry is very different from that of Washington, D.C., yet complementary. In D.C., life has continued moving. Although there is a certain sense of history in parts of D.C. it is a cold history. It doesn’t make my imagination come alive. The history in Harpers Ferry is alive, though. I felt as if I had stepped back in time when I visited.
If you’re ever hiking the Appalachian Trail, it runs right through Harpers Ferry. Keep hiking further on the Trail to the North and/or West of Harpers Ferry and you’ll quickly find yourself across the river from my old college in Shepherdstown, WV.
Speaking of all this, I really need to find my way back there someday. The steep streets and towering trees, the quiet churches and the echoing history all call me back. Something about those mountains, and the rivers, they all speak to me. I felt them so much more deeply than I ever have any other landscape I’ve seen.
