“USA 🇺🇸 Leaf-Peeking Road Trip Part 2 of 5 ~Harper’s Ferry Historic Park in West Virginia, with Scenic Driving to Maryland, Virginia and to New River West Virginia” October 2024

• November 8, 2024
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

LEAF-PEEKING ROAD TRIP

~Mid October

Part 2 of 5

Day 3

We woke up early and checked out of the hotel at sunrise, to begin our exploring of two amazing Historical Towns, that are not to be missed. Had my friend in Texas not told me about them, we would have missed out!

Right next to Harper’s Ferry is a smaller Historical Town, called Bolivar. We checked it out, too!

The reason we got up so early is because Harper’s Ferry and Bolivar are living Historical Towns, so the parking is very hard to come by, if you don’t live there, plus the towns are built on the side of the hill, right above where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet. To walk the towns in their entirety, would take a few days with the incline, plus one would still need to park their vehicle “somewhere.”  The way we did it, being so early, there were very few tourists, so we could enjoy sunrise, plus we found some available parking. This way, we moved all over the place; up and down the hillside, without issue. Some of the roads are really, really tight, because they were built for horse and wagons.

Bolivar, West Virginia

First stop was Historical Town Bolivar, and the cemetery, at sunrise.

Bolivar’s history begins over 1000 years ago. Native American artifacts have been found from the 12th Century—300 years before Columbus arrived in the New World. The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia was the home of tribes of the Iroquois Nation when European settlers first arrived. The Delaware and Shawnee tribes hunted in the area during spring and summer seasons. Explorer Louis Michel, looking for land for a Swiss settlement, reported Indians in the area during his 1706 travels along the west bank of the Potomac River.

Soon after the 1607 establishment of Jamestown, Virginia, English settlers moved inland and grew in numbers to establish the Colony of Virginia for the Royal Crown. The Colony was divided into eight counties in 1634, and the land, which is now Bolivar, was part of the Indian District of Cickacoan. The Eastern Panhandle was part of Virginia until 1863 when the State of West Virginia was admitted to the Union during the Civil War.

King Charles II of England granted the land that became Jefferson County to Thomas, Lord Fairfax. An Iroquois Treaty opened the Blue Ridge to English settlement. Fairfax sold some of his five million acres to speculators, farmers and businessmen including Robert Harper and Gersham Keyes who bought in this area. Harper was a Philadelphia architect who settled in “The Hole” at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. He ran a ferry service across the Potomac from what was then called Shenandoah Falls. In time, the town at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers became Harpers Ferry. Keyes settled on land, which is now within the township of Bolivar and built his home and tavern on Washington Street. According to tax records for 1790, Keyes owned a grist mill, saw mill, smithy (blacksmith shop), and two distilleries. He grew wheat and corn, and owned 10 horses, 16 each cows and pigs, 32 sheep and seven pet deer. Keyes also owned eight books, an indication of wealth and education.

In 1825, citizens of Mudfort and surrounding lands petitioned the Virginia Assembly to become a town, named after South American freedom fighter Simon Bolivar. Approval from the Assembly was granted in December of 1825 and the town of Bolivar came into existence 16 years before Harpers Ferry was granted a charter.

From 1825 until the close of the 1880’s Bolivar was the center of river trade with the port at the old site. Keelboats, flatboats, packet boats and steamships made regular trips to and from the markets. The first steamship arrived in 1828. “The Native”, was built in 1835 by William Henry Wood of Bolivar. After 1843 commerce on the river was so good that fourteen steamboats were making regular calls. The depth of the river was a hazard, dipping to three feet at low tide. When other means of transportation became available the Hatchie was expendable.

There was another cemetary

Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia 

For the rest of our time spent exploring, we were in Harper’s Ferry Historical Town, which was absolutely spectacular. If you love history, this place is really special!

The Historic Train Depot

Constructed by the B&O Railroad in 1894, the Harpers Ferry Train Station was moved to its present location in 1931 when advancements in train technology allowed higher speeds that necessitated track modifications.

This project returned the station to its 1931 appearance, celebrating that key time in railroad development, and provides spaces for both train passengers and Harpers Ferry visitors.

On the Appalachian Trail

Harper’s Ferry is almost a half way point, between the starting and ending point of the entire Appalachian Trail; Maine and Georgia

We walked across the bridge from West Virginia to Maryland

The two rivers join; the Shenandoah and the Potomic

The Fire Station Building 

This building was described in a June 30, 1848, Armory report as “an engine and guard-house, 35½ x 24 feet, one story brick, covered with slate, and having copper gutters and down spouts, has been constructed, and is now occupied.” It was in this building that John Brown and several of his followers barricaded.

During the Civil War; From September 12 to 15, 1862, Confederate forces, under Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson besieged the 13,000-man garrison at Harpers Ferry, resulting in the largest surrender of American troops until World War II.

Peter’s Roman Catholic Church

Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry, West occupies a prominent location on the heights above Harpers Ferry. The original church was built in 1833 in a pseudo-Gothic style, which it kept through the Civil War, being the only church in Harpers Ferry to escape destruction, during the war.

The chick-in office for the Appalachian Trail, is right up those stairs, next the ruins of the first church, built in Harper’s Ferry.

St John’s Episcopal Church (ruins)

This ruin was one of the first five churches constructed in Harper’s Ferry. It was constructed in 1851 and completed in 1852, by Irish immigrants.

St. John’s served as a hospital and barracks during the Civil War, but was badly damaged during the conflict.

For a time, St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church (located just down the hill) was the only surviving church in Harpers Ferry, but St. John’s was rebuilt after the war. Sadly, it was abandoned when a new church was built in the upper part of Harpers Ferry.

The historic stone walls are stabilized by the National Park Service in an effort to preserve these beautiful ruins.

Harper Cemetery

Harper Cemetery is listed as a contributing site in The Harpers Ferry Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The cemetery has been the final resting place for founders and prominent citizens of the town and the area, as well as for others who love Harpers Ferry, since 1782.

Harper Cemetery provides perpetual care and is managed by a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees originally appointed in the late 1800’s.

The cemetery is open to the public seven days per week, from dawn until dusk.

Visitors are requested to respect the dignity of this place and those interred here. Grave stone “rubbings;” leaning, standing, or sitting on gravestones and stone walls surrounding graves and/or the cemetery are not permitted.

The Pulp Factory 

Harpers Ferry Paper Company and Shenandoah Pulp Company were established in the late nineteenth century by Thomas H. Savery (1837-1910) along the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers.

With several associates, Savery bought multiple properties on the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, in 1884, including the site of the famous armory. He first established paper mills on these sites and, in the mid-1890s, began building electric power generating facilities. He organized the Harpers Ferry Electric Light & Power Company.

Savery’s son, William H. Savery (1865-1949), served as president of the three companies. By the 1920s, the mills had the capacity to produce fifteen tons of groundwood pulp daily for the paper industry. After several unprofitable years, the Shenandoah Pulp Company closed in 1935, and a year later, the building was destroyed in a record flood.

This empty lot sits behind the historic firehouse/station, which was where the armory sat; Harpers Ferry Raid, (October 16–18, 1859), assault by an armed band of abolitionists, led by John Brown, on the federal armory.

Still, Day 3

After exploring Harper’s Ferry Historical Town to our hearts content, we got in the truck and knew we needed to fuel up, before heading to the New River Gorge National Park, also in West Virginia, and get a hotel for the night.

We drove from Harper’s Ferry West Virginia, to Virginia and fueled up, then drove a little ways further down the road to Maryland. Going this direction, only for a few miles, had us crossing the bridges over the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, plus could view Harpers Ferry from a distance.

We were not going further into Maryland, so we turned around and made our way back to Virginia, and West Virgina, then got going the direction of the New River Gorge National Park in New River, West Virginia to spend the night.

Leaving Harper’s Ferry, driving North to New River

Day 3

We drove from Harper’s Ferry State Park to Comfort Inn in New River, West Virginia

5 hours

290 miles

Comfort Inn New River

West Virginia

One Night

Good Night Y’all

 Here is a link to click, for Part 3 of 5, if you want to continue:

https://2gypsiesinthewind.com/northamerica/united-states/ohio/usa-leaf-peeking-road-trip-part-3-of-5the-new-river-gorge-national-park-and-surrounding-area-in-west-virginia-october-2024/