Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

The day after we toured Gettysburg we decided to go to Harpers Ferry as our first stop of the day before circling back to our campground by way of Antietam.  Little did we know that all of the rain we'd been suffering through had also been contributing to record flooding.  Due to the water levels in the surrounding rivers much of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park was closed while staff worked to evacuate artifacts from portions of the buildings at risk for flooding.  As a consequence the entrance fee was waived for the day and we didn't need to use our pass.  You can read more about the flooding in this article or by searching for June 2018 Harpers Ferry flooding.

A visit to this quaint, historic community, at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, is like stepping into the past.  Stroll the picturesque streets, visit exhibits and museums, or hike our trails and battlefields. Spend a day or a weekend.  We have something for everyone, so come and discover Harpers Ferry!
--from Harpers Ferry National Historical Park website

Our first stop was at the small visitor center inside the park entrance.  There wasn't much there.  It is mainly designed to be next to the parking lot and orient guests who are taking a shuttle into the park.  however, as the rivers were flooding due to recent rains the main bus stop in the town was already (or would be soon underwater).

 We first decided to take a bus, thinking that while we were told the main bus stop was flooded they were still going into the town.

 Once we got on to the bus we realized that it only went to Bolivar Heights.  We got off the bus, looked around for a bit, and then caught the next shuttle back to the visitor center and parking area.

 The view was nice from Bolivar Heights.

 We decided to drive into the town on our own.  We ended up driving around the narrow roads a couple times looking for parking.

 All too often we found places where parking was prohibited.  However, we finally found a place where we could park.  I downloaded a parking app, paid for our time, and we loaded up the stroller to head down into town.

This is the location of one of the former arsenal buildings.  According to the signage it was burned, flooded, and leveled.
The stone and brick walls...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 after John brown's raid.  The 1959 excavation report describes the intensity of the fire that destroyed the building in 1861.  The fire "baked red" the top layer of clay and left behind "twisted and partly melted muskets and parts, some of them fused into each other."  The report suggests that the building's slate roof, brick walls and drafts from the cellar windows created a "furnace effect" leaving behind only a shell of the building.  Floods swept through the building shell twice before federal troops leveled it.  In 2009 National Park Service specialists constructed this partial representation of the small arsenal based on evidence from archaeological excavations.
--from exhibit signage

This building was originally constructed as a fire-engine house for the armory in 1848.  However it gained infamy in 1859 when it served as the stronghold for John Brown's failed revolution.  It actually survived the Civil War and then spent decades being moved between different locations.  In 1968 it was finally moved back almost to its original location.

In this shot of the end of the town (near the armory buildings) you can see the flooding that was starting to envelop the area.

 This culvert led out to the river and was the source of most of the water flooding this part of the town.

 When we made it down to the actual end of the peninsula and could see the rivers the flooding was quite evident.  A pedestrian bridge next to the railroad bridge was closed down since the paths on the opposite side of the river were already flooded.

The river was definitely colored by silt that had washed into its waters.

 Here you can see how close the water is to the bottom of the railroad bridge.

 This is the footbridge you can normally use to cross over the river and walk into Maryland.

 I believe these are supports for a former bridge that used to cross the river.

When we were still walking around this area of the town had no water in it.

 However all of these buildings normally open to National Park visitors were closed down.  We were told that park employees were evacuating artifacts to higher floors or other buildings in anticipation of the flooding reaching them.

 I would love to go back someday when more of the park is open and be able to visit these buildings.

 It was fascinating to see records of old floods as we were in the early stages of another flood.

 Thankfully the floodwaters were nowhere near the levels that some of them have reached in the past.

 Here you can see an area that is normally above the water.  Under the trestle notice an interpretative sign on a post.

The geese didn't seem to mind the flooding.

This is the normal shuttle stop.  Because this was flooded the park service decided to suspend all shuttle service to the town itself.

After seeing the flooding the older kids and I headed up the ridge of the peninsula for a short hike.  We first headed up the stone steps towards St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church.

 It is a beautiful structure that was completed almost two centuries ago in 1833.

 I found the stone work and stained glass especially captivating as we walked by.

Before we headed up the next set of stairs we had to wait for a group of kids to come down.  There was a drinking fountain and the kids enjoyed getting a drink.

 We pretty much had the path to ourselves once we passed the descending group.

 We passed by the ruins of St. John's Episcopal Church, which was one of the five earliest churches in the city, built in 1852.  It was abandoned in 1895 after a replacement church was built elsewhere.

We finally came to the destination of our climb, Jefferson Rock.

 Thomas Jefferson visited Harpers Ferry in 1783 and described the view.
"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 against the mountain, rend it asunder, and pass off to the sea.... This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic."

After heading down the hill we walked back to our car and drove back to Bolivar Heights before leaving the park.

The Heights are a commanding position and were part of several different battles over the area.

You can see more photos from our visit in this album.

~Matt