Excursion to Harper's Ferry

Dave and I took a day trip in May to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.  It is located in a strategic place where Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia meet.  The Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet there too.  It has a lot of intersting history, particularly during the Civil War era.

We saw several people reenacting different parts of life.  These people recreated the boats that sailed up and down the rivers.  They let us get on and tour them.  They cooked right on the boats, too.

In 1859 John Brown raided this armory where they stored lots of guns that were made here.  He was an abolitionist and wanted the arms to fight.  He was caught and hung, but it is still quite a controversial topic concerning his role in bringing on the war, and the abolition of slavery.

St. Peters church, built in 1833 was the only church not destroyed during the Civil War.

Harper's Ferry changed hands 8 timesfrom 1861-65  (being so near Maryland, a Northern state, and Virginia, a Southern state in the war.)

It was a fun town to walk through.  Many of the buildings are museums belonging to the park service and can be toured, while other buildings are fun shops.

We had some nice weather to take in some of the beauty and history of the area.