Harpers Ferry has always interested me since the first time I saw pictures and heard about the hiking and bike trails that ran through it. What I knew about the place was only the famous raid on the arsenal by John Brown in 1859. John Brown’s raid on the arsenal was meant to spark and support a slave rebellion. Instead, it sparked the Civil War. When I found out that Meriwether Lewis had made preparations for the Corps of Discovery there in 1803, I immediately wondered why in this place? When you see Harpers Ferry today it’s a very small community and quite rural. After some reading at some of the interpretive sites, I found out that Harpers Ferry had a very important history due to its location. I already knew it was at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, but I found out that Lewis chose this location to prepare for the journey because it had a number of craftspeople and was a center of trade at the time. He could manufacture and purchase items while still remaining in regular contact with President Jefferson before setting off west. In a historical twist of fate, the westward expansion that was planned here led directly the fighting that took place in the same town over 50 years later. It’s a beautiful place today, but we should recall the blood that was shed because of its key location.
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Jeremy Henderson
I am a history teacher at Hixson Middle School. I love traveling and exploring new places with my wife and son. Archives
July 2014
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