The Armory and Arsenal consisted of 20 workshops, two arsenal buildings, a foundry and 86 dwellings. The Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry employed 400 men who manufactured rifles and other mechanized arms for the U.S. In 1794, President George Washington had selected Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and Springfield, Massachusetts, as the sites of the new national armories. Harpers Ferry for kids: The Armory and Arsenal
RAID OF HARPERS FERRY TIMELIME FREE
Harpers Ferry was strategically located close to the Mason-Dixon line, or the border between the free and the slave-holding states. Where was Harper's Ferry? Harpers Ferry was a town in Virginia that housed a United States Armory and Arsenal. John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry: Harpers Ferry For additional information refer to the John Brown Biography and TimelineĬivil War Map showing Location of Harpers Ferry One of the important events during his presidency was John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry. James Buchanan was the 15th American President who served in office from Mato March 4, 1861. He was hung on December 2, 1859, but his name was immortalized in the song "John Brown's Body Lies A-Mouldering in the Grave". He was tried and found guilty of murder, treason, and inciting a slave insurrection. In the battle for the arsenal John Brown was captured by U.S. The militant anti-slavery activist led a group of 21 armed men to seize weapons and ammunition from a federal armory at Harpers Ferry, enough to equip an army, and then lead a slave rebellion in the South. Summary: John's Brown raid on Harper's Ferry took place on Octoin the town of Harpers Ferry in Virginia (now West Virginia). The Hilltop House Hotel opened in 1888 and was known as Harpers Ferry’s “Grand Old Lady.” The hotel is currently closed for renovation and reconstruction to redevelop the site as an upscale hotel opening in 2010.ĭesignated a Preserve America Community in November 2008.Summary of John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry The Harpers Ferry Town Foundation helps to enhance the visitor’s understanding of Harpers Ferry’s place in history with its “Walking Guide to Upper Town Harpers Ferry” highlighting 10 structures in Upper Town and focusing on its architecture and place in the town’s history. For 37 years, the town has partnered with the Merchants Association to host Olde Tyme Christmas, two weekends in December filled with activities, performances, and displays reminiscent of a traditional Christmas celebration in 1860. Since 2003 efforts to preserve and beautify the town have been carried on by the Harpers Ferry Historic Town Foundation.
The entire town is a Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In the mid-20th century, parts of the town became a national monument and a National Historical Park. By the end of the 19th century, Harpers Ferry was considered a summer retreat for people from Baltimore and Washington. But after the war, the town became a hub for educating newly freed slaves. With the rifle works destroyed, and the town changing hands between rebel and federal armies, military rule prevailed. The town suffered through the war and lost its industrial base.
John Brown, “Commander in Chief” of the “Provisional Army of the United States,”and his men attempted to seize the federal armory and arsenal to liberate slaves and end slavery in the United States. In 1859, the John Brown raid of the arsenal took place it is considered the spark that began the Civil War. A mayor, recorder, and nine town councilmen were elected. In 1851, the Virginia legislature granted the town a charter to organize local government. Hotels, saloons, and bawdy houses thrived. After 1842, the armory and arsenal became a source of work and wealth for the town.
It was the first place interchangeable parts were used in manufacturing in the world. Washington also chose the town as a site for the United States Armory and Arsenal, with construction beginning in 1799.īetween 1801 and the Civil War, the armory manufactured most of the United States’ arms and even supplied the expedition of Lewis and Clark. George Washington proposed the C&O Canal be built along the river past Harpers Ferry. Thomas Jefferson is even quoted as saying the scenic grandeur of the site was much admired. Robert Harper purchased Stephens’ land in 1747 and ran a ferry across the Potomac River. In 1733 Peter Stephens settled the area on a peninsula at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, (population 315) had a history before John Brown’s famous raid. Historic Preservation Contacts and Resources.
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