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Historical Markers and War Memorials in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Charles Town is the county seat for Jefferson County
Harpers Ferry is in Jefferson County
Jefferson County(349) ► ADJACENT TO JEFFERSON COUNTY Berkeley County(107) ► Washington County, Maryland(875) ► Clarke County, Virginia(75) ► Frederick County, Virginia(231) ► Loudoun County, Virginia(345) ►
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"A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step."
Lao Tzu
The stone steps to your left are part of the Appalachian Trail - a 2,200-mile footpath from Georgia to Maine. Climb the steps to some of the most scenic . . . — — Map (db m118087)
The Small Arsenal building that stood here from 1806—1861 was one of two warehouses for the nearby United States Armory. A Harpers Ferry visitor in 1821 described both buildings as "arsenals for the deposit of arms manufactured, consisting of . . . — — Map (db m99508) HM
Hearing praise for "faithful slaves" during the dedication of the Heyward Shepherd memorial (to your left), Peal Tatten interrupted the ceremony. "I am the daughter of a [Union soldier]… who fought for the freedom of my people, who which John . . . — — Map (db m238207) HM
"The War That Ended Slavery"
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass, from his 1881 Storer College Commencement speech
"I want to free all the negroes in this [slave] state ... if the citizens interfere with me I must only burn . . . — — Map (db m143940) HM
Female students arriving here at the Cook Hall dormitory were greeted with a welcoming letter that advised them, “Here you will come as a refuge from the strangeness or perplexities of campus life. Here you will fight your battles of . . . — — Map (db m70830) HM
Harpers Ferry owed its existence principally to the United States armory, which began producing small arms here in 1801. At its height, this factory produced more than 10,000 weapons a year and employed 400 workers. The armory affected the everyday . . . — — Map (db m18793) HM
The destruction of the armory in 1861, followed by four years of Civil War, devastated Harpers Ferry's economy. Attempts at revitalization included a brewery erected here in 1895. When West Virginia enacted prohibition in 1914, the brewery . . . — — Map (db m18798) HM
The struggle of today is not altogether for today -
it is for a vast future also.
Abraham Lincoln
You are standing near what was once an international border. During the Civil War, the peak to your left lay within the Union state . . . — — Map (db m70826) HM
You are standing near what was once an international border. During the Civil War, the peak to your left lay within the Union state of Maryland. Loudoun Heights to the right was claimed by the Confederate state of Virginia. Slavery divided the . . . — — Map (db m158441) HM
You are standing directly across the street from the main entrance of one of the nation's first military industrial complexes. The U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry, now covered by an embankment of dirt and rubble, produced the deadliest weapons of its . . . — — Map (db m24919) HM
Standing here on the night of April 18, 1861, you would have seen billowing smoke as fire raged in the armory workshops upstream. Virginia had just seceded from the United States and Virginia militiamen were advancing on the armory. Vastly . . . — — Map (db m20520) HM
About two o’clock in the afternoon of September 17, 1862, Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill’s 3,000-man division began crossing the Potomac River at Boteler’s Ford about two miles northwest of here, en route to the battle raging at Antietam Creek near . . . — — Map (db m1955) HM
The United States Armory was the main reason Lewis came to Harpers Ferry. He needed dependable weapons and supplies to succeed on his mission. The quality of the armorers' handiwork would also mean the difference between life and death for Lewis and . . . — — Map (db m20481) HM
Rank has its privileges. The paymaster, second in command at the armory, enjoyed an unobstructed view of the factory grounds and water gap from the substantial brick dwelling erected here about 1800. Soot and noise disrupted the scene with the . . . — — Map (db m18664) HM
Expanding armory operations in the opening decades of the 19th century resulted in overcrowded and unhealthy living conditions for workers. Families shared inadequate, unventilated housing, while single men slept in the workshops. To alleviate the . . . — — Map (db m18797) HM
Two brick arsenal buildings, which once housed about 100,000 weapons produced at the Harpers Ferry Armory, occupied these grounds. Capture of the firearms was the objective of John Brown’s 1859 raid. Eighteen months after Brown’s attack, the Civil . . . — — Map (db m12969) HM
Built in 1858, this house served as the home for the U.S. Armory superintendent's clerk. As an assistant to the superintendent, the clerk's responsibilities included drafting correspondence, filing reports, arranging schedules, and insuring the . . . — — Map (db m70779) HM
Passengers in the late 1800s would have instantly recognized this building as the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad station. Known for their distinctive style and red-and-brown color scheme, the B&O designed their stations to give customers a . . . — — Map (db m70782) HM
The stone and brick walls in front of you show the outline of the Small Arsenal. The actual foundation of this former weapons storehouse lies below ground. In 1959 National Park Service archaeologists first excavated the foundation—100 years . . . — — Map (db m143937) HM
Factory officials believed a ready supply of meat for the community was "decidedly advantageous to the interests of the armory." As a result, the armory permitted local businessman Philip Coons to erect a large butcher shop and smoke-house, as well . . . — — Map (db m18792) HM
Beneath your feet lie the foundations of the Smith and Forging Shop. The largest building in the armory, it reflected changing methods of manufacturing. In the armory's early days, gun making was slow and labor intensive. Armorers worked in small . . . — — Map (db m23444) HM
You are in the Camp Hill area of Harpers Ferry. Explore Camp Hill's history with exhibits in front of the Morrell, Brackett, and Lockwood houses and Mather Training Center. Side trails in Harper Cemetery and in front of Mather Training Center . . . — — Map (db m103584) HM
Company A, 22nd New York State Militia, photographed near here during the summer of 1862. Note the house with a cannon in front of it behind the soldiers. It is still here today.
In May of 1862, during Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign, Union . . . — — Map (db m158424) HM
September 15, 1862 No. 1On September 10, 1862 General R. E. Lee Commanding the Army of Northern Virginia then at Frederick Md. set three columns in motion to capture Harper’s Ferry. Maj. Gen L. McLaws with his own Division and that of Maj. Gen. . . . — — Map (db m2579) HM
September 15, 1862 No. 2 Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, with his own Division and those of Maj. Gen. A. P. Hill and R. S. Ewell, left Frederick on the morning of September 10 and passing through Middletown and Boonsboro crossed the Potomac at . . . — — Map (db m2728) HM
September 15, 1862 No. 3 Col. Dixon S. Miles, Second U. S. Infantry, commanded the Union forces at Harpers Ferry. After Gen. White joined from Martinsburg, September 12 and Col. Ford from Maryland Heights on the 13th, Miles had about 14,200 . . . — — Map (db m2914) HM
September 15, 1862 No. 4 In the afternoon of the 14th Jackson's Division advanced its left, seized commanding ground near the Potomac and established Artillery upon it. Hill's Division moved from Halltown obliquely to the right until it struck . . . — — Map (db m2921) HM
September 15, 1862 No. 5 Capture of Harpers Ferry September 15, 1862 No. 5 At daylight, September 15, three Batteries of Jackson's Division delivered a severe fire against the right of the Bolivar Heights defense. Ewell's Batteries opened from . . . — — Map (db m2922) HM
Over two dozen armory workers' dwellings, ranging from modest frame cottages to substantial stone and brick houses, once fronted Shenandoah and Hamilton streets. The wood houses disappeared around mid-century, victims of fire and demolition. The . . . — — Map (db m18799) HM
German immigrant Frederick Roeder was a prosperous baker, the father of seven children, and a recent widower. Roeder was also about to die. The Fourth of July was normally a day of celebration, but not this year - not 1861. In March Roeder buried . . . — — Map (db m99425) HM WM
The 90-foot chimney that once stood here towered over the Smith and Forging Shop, dominating the scenery from 1846 until it was torn down in the 1890s. — — Map (db m143946) HM
Once the largest building on Virginius Island, this 1848 four-story brick structure sported steam heat and gas lighting and boasted the latest machinery for making "yard-wide sheeting and shirting at less than Baltimore prices." The cotton mill . . . — — Map (db m18812) HM
The boat ramp in front of you was the site of two daring escapes in the Battle of Harpers Ferry. Under the cover of darkness, 1,400 Union cavalrymen fled on horseback down the ramp, crossing a pontoon bridge into Maryland on September 14, 1862. . . . — — Map (db m158288) HM
Situated in a gap of the Blue Ridge Mountains and at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, Harpers Ferry, from its beginning, functioned as a natural avenue of transportation.
The first mode of travel consisted of a primitive . . . — — Map (db m12058) HM
In an effort to increase the number of small arms for defense of the United States, George Washington established a Federal armory here in 1794. The rivers provided power for the machinery; surrounding mountains provided iron ore for gun barrels . . . — — Map (db m168267) HM
Waterpower built this town, and the power of the water eventually destroyed it. The destruction of the Federal Armory during the Civil War began the town's decline. Many people who had left Harpers Ferry during the war did return, only to be driven . . . — — Map (db m12982) HM
The ground around you hides the remains of the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry. Beneath the surface archeologists discovered walls, floors, pipes, and the base of a massive 90-foot chimney. As the team slowly and painstakingly excavated small pits . . . — — Map (db m21124) HM
Harpers Ferry, including Anthony Hall (to your left), played host to large and small scenes in the epic human struggle for freedom and equality. In this building, the superintendent of the national armory contemplated how to strengthen the . . . — — Map (db m70797) HM
Harpers Ferry, including Anthony Hall (behind you to the right), played host to large and small scenes in the epic human struggle for freedom and equality. In this building, the superintendent of the national armory contemplated how to . . . — — Map (db m70821) HM
Harpers Ferry, including Anthony Hall (to your left), played host to large and small scenes in the epic human struggle for freedom and equality. In this building, Civil War generals planned their next attack. In the fields around you, Union and . . . — — Map (db m158638) HM
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-power potential of the Potomac and . . . — — Map (db m10203) HM
From this vantage point, a succession of early residents watched Harpers Ferry grow from a tiny village into a thriving industrial community. In 1775, town founder Robert Harper chose this hillside for his family home because it lay safely . . . — — Map (db m18753) HM
The Harpers House was near the end of a 20-year run as the only tavern in Harpers Ferry when Lewis arrived. Thomas Jefferson may have been among the first guests to stay here in 1783. If Lewis rented a room in 1803, he was among the last travelers . . . — — Map (db m18754) HM
From this vantage point, early residents watched Harpers Ferry grow from a tiny village into a thriving industrial community.
In 1775, town founder Robert Harper chose this hillside for his home. The home was completed in 1782. . . . — — Map (db m148945) HM
Harpers Ferry. Named for Robert Harper, who settled here in 1747 and operated ferry. Site purchased for Federal arsenal and armory in 1796. John Hall first used interchangeable gun parts here. Travel route thru Blue Ridge gap, and river, . . . — — Map (db m82777) HM
Heyward Shepherd On October 17, 1859, abolitionist John Brown attacked Harpers Ferry to launch a war against slavery, Heyward Shepherd, a free African American railroad baggage master, was shot and killed by Brown’s men shortly after midnight. . . . — — Map (db m171726) HM
These brick-lined archways, or "head gates," built around 1850, once controlled much of the island's waterpower. From here, a "wing dam" extended across the Shenandoah River, funneling water through the arches and into the inner basin. A gate at the . . . — — Map (db m18949) HM
A national controversy regarding the education of African American students played out in the building before you. Throughout its history, Storer College faced great difficulty attracting funding. Most white benefactors favored trade school . . . — — Map (db m70807) HM
We want our children trained as intelligent human beings should be and we will fight for all time against any proposal to educate black boys and girls simply as servants and underlings, or simply for the use of other people. They have . . . — — Map (db m173635) HM
On the night of October 16, 1859, Heyward Shepherd, an industrious and respected Colored freeman, was mortally wounded by John Brown's raiders in pursuance of his duties as an employee of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. He became the first . . . — — Map (db m126128) HM
Armory Superintendent Joseph Perkins lived in a converted warehouse on this spot from 1801-1806. The day Lewis arrived, March 16, 1803, he hand-delivered a letter from the Secretary of War directing Perkins to provide "arms & iron work... with the . . . — — Map (db m18804) HM
The U.S. Armory Paymaster's house stood here. Completed in 1802 as a home for the armory's senior administrator, this building was probably the best house in town when Meriwether Lewis arrived in 1803. Lewis may have stayed here and he certainly . . . — — Map (db m18662) HM
An island entrepreneur or owner likely resided in this 2 1/2-story house which once stood on this foundation. Owners and workers both resided on the island. Other dwellings included four large 2-story structures, five 2-story brick tenements, and . . . — — Map (db m18951) HM
Bridges spanning the canal, like the one to your left, provided access from the island to the mainland for residents and factory workers. During floods, they were paths to safety. To delay departure could spell disaster, as in 1870, when swiftly . . . — — Map (db m18987) HM
Sounds of turning mill wheels and workers filling bags with freshly ground flour once filled the air here. The foundation of Island Mills, one of the earliest (1824) industries on the island, lies before you. Each fall the railroad brought wheat . . . — — Map (db m18983) HM
Jefferson County. Formed in 1801 from Berkeley. Named for Thomas Jefferson. Home of Generals Gates, Darke, and Charles Lee. Here four companies of Washington's men organized. Shepherdstown was strongly urged as the seat of the National . . . — — Map (db m167196) HM
Jefferson County. Formed in 1801 from Berkeley. Named for Thomas Jefferson. Home of Generals Gates, Darke, and Charles Lee. Here four companies of Washington’s men organized. Shepherdstown was strongly urged as the seat of the National . . . — — Map (db m167397) HM
"On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain a hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Patowmac [Potomac], in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together . . . — — Map (db m10662) HM
Twenty years before Lewis came to town, his mentor, Thomas Jefferson, wrote about the view from this rock. Jefferson's comments on the landscape were published in Notes on the State of Virginia. That book provided a model for Lewis as he . . . — — Map (db m18791) HM
Here John Brown aimed at human slavery a blow that woke a guilty nation. With him fought seven slaves and sons of slaves. Over his crucified corpse marched 200,000 black soldiers and 4,000,000 freedmen singing “John Brown’s body lies . . . — — Map (db m158453) HM
That this nation might have
a new birth of freedom,
That slavery should be removed
forever from American soil.
John Brown
and his 21 men gave their
lives.
To commemorate their
heroism, this tablet is
placed on this . . . — — Map (db m167876) HM WM
Here is a building with a curious past. Since its construction in 1848, it has been vandalized, dismantled, and moved four times - all because of its fame as John Brown's stronghold. The Fort's "Movements" 1848 Built as fire-engine house for . . . — — Map (db m4420) HM
Commemorated here is the original location of the "John Brown Fort"--the Federal Armory's fire engine house where abolitionist John Brown and his raiders were captured by the U.S. Marines on October 18, 1859. If you look to the south, you will see . . . — — Map (db m10900) HM
You are in the line of fire. The stone marker in front of you identifies the original site of the armory fire engine house - now known as John Brown's Fort. Barricaded inside the fort, abolitionist John Brown and his men held off local militia and . . . — — Map (db m23413) HM
Jonathan and Emily Child owned the house that once stood on this foundation. Along with partner John McCreight, Child bought Virginius Island from Abraham Herr after the Civil War and moved here with his family in 1867. Three years later, on . . . — — Map (db m18982) HM
Formerly Vestal's Gap. Historic gateway through the Blue Ridge into the Shenandoah Valley. It was often used by Washington and by armies of the Blue and the Gray, 1861-65. Here passed part of Braddock's army, 1755, en route to Fort Duquesne. — — Map (db m148890) HM
Formerly Vestal’s Gap. Historic gateway through the Blue Ridge into the Shenandoah Valley. It was often used by Washington and by armies of the Blue and Gray, 1861–65. Here passed part of Braddock’s army, 1755, en route to Fort Duquesne. — — Map (db m167164) HM
Serious problems plagued the weapons stored in this two-story structure built in 1799. Floods and high humidity posed constant threats. Sparks from wood-burning locomotives presented a fire hazard. Inadequate storage space caused overcrowding and . . . — — Map (db m18691) HM
Completed in 1800, the 2 1/2-story, brick arsenal building stored weapons made for the security and survival of a young United States of America. Lewis procured 15 rifles from this stockpile. They were the first and most essential weapons his . . . — — Map (db m18752) HM
Meriwether Lewis arrived March 16, 1803. Oversaw building of collapsible iron framed, skin-clad boat and acquired supplies, tomahawks, and rifles. Left for Pennsylvania on April 18; returned July 7 to gather materials and left next day for . . . — — Map (db m2149) HM
With its commanding view of Harpers Ferry and the Potomac River gap, this house has witnessed significant chapters in Harpers Ferry's history. It was built in 1847 as quarters for the U.S. Armory paymaster and later served as headquarters for Union . . . — — Map (db m238060) HM
Armory workers purchased fresh vegetables, meat, and fish every Wednesday and Saturday here at the Market House. Constructed by the government near mid-century, the building that once stood here architecturally resembled the refurbished armory . . . — — Map (db m18800) HM
Harpers Ferry, Virginia - Charter from Virginia Legislature 1851
Jeremiah Fuss - 1851-1852
John C. Umseld - 1852-1853
Solomon V. Yantis - 1853-1855, 1879-1880, 1882-1885
George Mauzy - 1855-1857
Isaac Fouke - 1858-1859
Fontaine . . . — — Map (db m143935) HM
Work in the Smith and Forging Shop that stood here was dirty, smoky, noisy, and dangerous. Worse still, in the early 1800s armorers changed from skilled craftsmen - creating unique handcrafted weapons - into wage laborers tending machines for less . . . — — Map (db m23491) HM
This house was built in 1858 as quarters for the U.S. Armory paymaster's clerk and his family. This clerk helped the paymaster manage the armory's complex budget and payroll, and assisted also with the collection of government quarters' rent and . . . — — Map (db m70750) HM
The metal boat frame to your right is a replica of a collapsible boat built here for Lewis and Clark. Menwether Lewis came to the armory in 1803 to prepare for an epic cross-continent journey and oversee the construction and testing of the boat. . . . — — Map (db m20526) HM
The Potomac River races east past you with enough mountain-carving power to punch through the entire Blue Ridge to your right. Such energy easily powered the entire national armory from the early 1800s until 1861. Diverted by a dam upstream, river . . . — — Map (db m20536) HM
Only Marine killed in John Brown's Raid - October 18, 1859
Pvt Luke Quinn came from Ireland in 1835, and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1855 in Brooklyn, NY. He was sent to sea duty, then transferred to Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. He . . . — — Map (db m70780) HM WM
On this spot in 1838 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) pulled into the lead in the race for transportation industry dominance with the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal (C&O). Denied across to the Maryland side of the river, the B&O struck a deal with the . . . — — Map (db m23415) HM
The B&O Railroad constructed this embankment in the 1890s, covering a large section of the original armory site and elevating their train tracks above flood levels. — — Map (db m143945) HM
Trains clanking along iron rails have echoed through Virginius Island since the Winchester & Potomac Railroad arrived here in 1836. It extended from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad junction at Harpers Ferry 32 miles southward to Winchester. The W&P . . . — — Map (db m18981) HM
Revolutionary War Soldier
William Broadus
Born 1755
Died October 5, 1830
Lieutenant in the First Virginia Regiment
Commanded by Colonel George Gibson
Marker placed by
General Adam Stephen Chapter, NSSAR
and
Virginia Society, NSSAR . . . — — Map (db m103454) HM WM
Built in 1826 as a private residence, this Federal style house was acquired by the War Department in 1837 and became U.S. Armory dwelling No. 55. Jefferson Davis signed the deed in 1852 when the government sold the house to Armory worker James . . . — — Map (db m148859) HM
The Harpers Ferry & Shenandoah Manufacturing Company built this stone wall about 1848 as part of the hydraulic system for its two cotton mils and other shops downstream. This extensive retaining wall formed part of the berm separating the inner . . . — — Map (db m18944) HM
In 1806, workmen with hand tools widened and deepened this channel for cargo boats to bypass, or "skirt," the rapids in the Shenandoah River. Linked with many other skirting canals" en route to Washington, D.C., this passage became part of the . . . — — Map (db m18988) HM
In 1877-1888, on the former site of the Shenandoah Canal's lower locks, Thomas Savery erected this large mill to provide wood pulp for the paper industry. Ten turbines, arranged in pairs in the mill's five massive sluiceways, powered wood grinders, . . . — — Map (db m18985) HM
The power of the Shenandoah River once made Virginius Island valuable real estate. Armory Superintendent James Stubblefield purchased the island in 1824 for $15,000. Two months later he almost doubled his investment by selling the island as four . . . — — Map (db m122844) HM
Thousands of enslaved people fled to the Union lines at Harpers Ferry during the Civil War. Some of them found shelter in the "contraband camp" located near here in the shadow of John Brown's Fort. Their freedom and safety were always in . . . — — Map (db m20491) HM
Along this path lie the remains of revolutions. Six acres of the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry have been reduced to rubble. Buildings that buzzed with activity and innovation now lie covered with dirt. Train tracks that pushed to the edge of a new . . . — — Map (db m20475) HM
Completed in 1848 this was the armory's largest building, nearly 100 yards long. Here workers forged iron into gun barrels and parts. — — Map (db m143944) HM
These small caves carved into the shale cliffside at one time served as springhouses and root cellars for the residents of this block. The cooler subsurface temperatures of a root cellar helped preserve herbs, vegetables, and fruits in the days . . . — — Map (db m18755) HM
These weathered ruins are all that remain of St. John's Episcopal Church - one of Harpers Ferry's five earliest churches. Built in 1852 with money provided by church fairs, St. John's served as a hospital and barracks during the Civil War and . . . — — Map (db m18790) HM
The Reverend Doctor Josiah P. Smeltzer laid the cornerstone of St. John's Lutheran Church on April 30, 1850. The building was completed two years later and dedicated on August 1, 1852. Little more than seven years had passed when, at dawn on . . . — — Map (db m70794) HM
Construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad produced an influx of Irish laborers into the Harpers Ferry area during the early 1830's. St. Peter's Catholic Church, completed in 1833, symbolizes America's melting . . . — — Map (db m18789) HM
128 entries matched your criteria. The first 100 are listed above. The final 28 ⊳
