Arsenal Square

The Point at Harper’s Ferry is both scenic and historic. Your view between the gap in the Blue Ridge showcases the confluence of the two rivers, the Potomac and the Shenandoah. Residents refer to this region in WV as “The Land between the Two Rivers”.

Harper’s Ferry was selected as the site of the nation’s second armory in 1794 by George Washington. The land was purchased from the heirs of Robert Harper who owned the ferry that crossed the river at this location.

George Washington’s role in this purchase was central to his vision of this region’s economic development. The river was paramount to his thinking of the expansion of trade and commerce and the nation looked westward.

Industrial development was born by the construction of the “United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry.” By 1805, muskets, rifles and pistols were manufactured here. By 1810 the annual production of arms averaged about 10,000.

The Civil War brought destruction to both the armory and arsenal, when Lt. Robert Jones of the U.S. Army ordered the buildings torched on April 17 1861 after Virginia seceded from the Union. He then retreated across the river into Maryland. By the end of the Civil War, only the Armory’s fire engine and guard house, John Brown’s Fort remained intact. Today, the Armory Grounds are almost completely covered by railroad track embankments.

John Brown’s Fort

The site of the Fort today, is not the original location of the building.

The building housed an engine and guard-house for the Armory. Its original location was up Potomac Street across from the main entrance to the Armory Grounds.

It was this building that abolitionist, John Brown and his followers occupied on October 16, 1859. This event is being commemorated by Harper’s Ferry NHP in the 2009 events (www.johnbrownraid.org) Please link to the site to see the many events planned for this year.

The raiders captured the bridge and seized the armory and arsenal. He had come to Harper’s Ferry to arm an uprising of slaves which never materialized. John Brown was captured on the morning of October 18th by marines under the command of General Robert E. Lee. He was taken to the Jefferson County Courthouse in nearby Charles Town where he was tried and convicted. He was hung on December 2 1859 a few blocks from the Court House.

Brown issued this prophetic warming before his sentence was carried out:

“I wish to say furthermore, that you had better – all you people at the South – prepare yourselves for a settlement of that question that must come up for settlement sooner than you are prepared for it. The sooner you are prepared the better. You may dispose of me very easily; I am nearly disposed of now; but this question is still to be settled – this negro question I mean – the end of that is not yet.”