The short drive through to Harpers Ferry was very welcome. It was fun leaving Maryland, passing through Virginia and entering West Virginia in the space of a couple hundred feet. The Potomac and Shenandoah rivers confluence here and then pass through a gap in the hills as they flow on to DC. The rivers are wide and shallow and there are lots of shale outcrops on the river bed. Many people float down the Shenandoah past Harpers Ferry. The town is on the point between the two rivers. It has a beautiful view east. The town has seen much activity over the years. A ferry was established in 1733 and the town was started in 1775. Became the US Armory and Arsenal from 1790, where many munitions were manufactured. Hosted many water powered industries - one right up until 1930. Meriwether Lewis obtained weapons and other supplies here before his trip out west in 1803. Railroads and a canal arrived in the 1830's. Witnessed the raid by John Brown the abolitionist in 1859. Suffered decline when Stonewall Jackson shipped the weapons production machinery south for Confederate use. Endured a major Federal army surrender in 1862 but later became a major supply base for the army. A college was opened in 1867 to educate former slaves. Through out this time the city was at the mercy of the rivers. Repeated floods caused the continued decline of the town. Now it is a wonderful place to explore. All this history in so small a place!
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