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Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, West Virginia
Website:
http://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm
Harpers Ferry, covering
over 2,300 acres of West Virginia, Virginia,
and Maryland, became part of the National Park System in
1944. Located at the confluence of the Shenandoah River
with the Potomac,
Harpers Ferry involves diverse people and events that
influenced the course of our nation’s history:
Geography and History
For thousands of years
before the arrival of European settlers, the place now
known as Harpers Ferry had been home to native peoples
who hunted and fished along the banks of the Shenandoah
and Potomac Rivers. European settlers coming to the area
created a small community which quickly transformed into
the thriving industrial town of Harpers Ferry. The
arrival of the Baltimore & Ohio and the Winchester and
Potomac Railroads and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal helped
to insure economic prosperity for this community. In
1859 it survived the impact of John Brown's Raid only to
be torn apart by four years of Civil War. The roots of
African American experience run deep here: slavery, the
struggle for freedom, education, and early civil rights
are all important aspects of the history of Harpers
Ferry. The town remains, today, a reminder of these
historic events.
Public Interpretation
Programs
The Park offers a
regular series of guided tours for visitors of all ages:
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Story Behind
the Scenery
(to learn about the significance of Harpers Ferry) |
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Training
Ground, Battle Ground, and Staging Ground
(centered on the Bolivar Heights Civil War
battleground) |
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Stories of
Camp Hill
(personal stories from the past, from Civil War to
Civil Rights) |
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Ranger’s
Choice
(alternate historical topics addressed during a
walking tour of Harpers Ferry) |
The orientation exhibit,
A Place in Time, uses excavated objects and
archeological findings in its introduction of 19th-century
armory workers.
In addition, a variety
of ranger-guided education programs have been developed
for children of different grade levels. The extent to
which archeological resources are included in these
different programs varies greatly.
Industrial history at
Harpers Ferry is an integral part of the park’s
programming, but the history of the labor force was
largely forgotten until archeological investigations led
to new and expanded interpretations. For instance,
archeological research at the Harpers Ferry armory
demonstrated how armory workers resisted corporate
paternalism, a deviation that came to haunt those who
tried to manage labor in the gun factory. The
archeological record at Harpers Ferry also shows that
some workers may have practiced their craft in a
piece-work system at home until about 1841 when the
military took control of the facility and made all
workers abide by a standard work discipline.
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