Civil War History Tour: Harper's Ferry

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia has some interesting stories.  It changed hands between the north and south 8 times.  It was sought after because it was on the railroad, canal, Potomac River and Shenandoah River.  It was a nice little port town to have control of for supplies.

 

The town is built on the side of a mountain and has an interesting layout.

 John Brown made his stand against slavery here in this fort.  He and his abolitionists were later hanged for his skirmish.

 The Potomac.

People in this area were tired of being controlled by the military, said they were always under martial law.  I don't remember all the details, but they joined the union later in the war, when West Virginia broke off from Virginia.

I feel I learned the least here because it was a self-guided tour.  It was really hot this day too, about 92 degrees and no breeze.  It might need to be revisited in the spring or fall for a better understanding of the area.

The frozen custard was the best part of this stop for me and it was beautiful. 

I spent Thursday and Friday in class learning from professors from different colleges.  I think my favorite part was learning about the treatment and rights of the African-American soldiers.