Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

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Harpers Ferry redirects here. For other uses, see Harpers Ferry (disambiguation).

Image:NWDNS-165-SB-26.jpg Harpers Ferry is a town located in Jefferson County, West Virginia, situated on the banks of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers where the U.S. states of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia meet. The town is surrounded by mountains and is at the bottom of a ravine created by the two rivers. The town is best known historically for John Brown's raid on the Armory in 1859. The town was in Virginia at the time of the raid; West Virginia was created in 1863. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 307.

Harpers Ferry is one of the few towns that the Appalachian Trail passes directly through.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links
5 Maps and satellite imagery

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History

Image:View from Jefferson Rock1.jpg Image:Harper's Ferry seen from Maryland side of Potomac River.jpg

In 1751, Robert Harper was given a patent on 125 acres (0.5 km²) at the present location of the town. In 1761, Harper established a ferry across the Potomac making the town a starting point for settlers moving into the Shenandoah Valley and further west. In 1763, the Virginia General Assembly established the town of "Shenandoah Falls at Mr. Harper's Ferry."

On October 25, 1783, Thomas Jefferson visited Harpers Ferry. He viewed "the passage of the Patowmac though the Blue Ridge" from a rock which is now named for him.

George Washington as president of the Patowmack Company (which was formed to complete river improvements on the Potomac and its tributaries) traveled to Harpers Ferry during the summer of 1785 to determine the need for bypass canals. In 1794, Washington's familiarity with the area lead him to propose the site as the location for a new federal armory and arsenal. Some of Washington's family moved to the area; his great-great nephew, Col. Lewis Washington, was held hostage during John Brown's raid in 1859.

The United States Armory and Arsenal was established at Harpers Ferry in 1799; this was one of only two such facilities in the US, and between them they produced most of the weapons for the US Army. The town was transformed into an industrial center; Between 1801 and its destruction during the Civil War, the Armory produced more than 600,000 muskets, rifles, and pistols. The inventor Captain John H. Hall pioneered the use of interchangeable parts in firearms manufactured at his Rifle Works at the Armory between 1820 and 1840; his M1819 Hall rifle was the first breech loading weapoon adopted by the US Army.

This industrialization continued in 1833 when the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal reached Harpers Ferry linking it with Washington, D.C. A year later, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad began train service through Harpers Ferry.

On October 16, 1859, the radical abolitionist John Brown led a small group of followers in a raid on the Arsenal. Brown attacked and captured several buildings; he hoped to use the captured weapons to stage a slave uprising throughout the South. However, he and his men were quickly pinned down by local citizens and militia, and forced to take refuge in the fire house adjacent to the arsenal. On October 18, U.S. Marines under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee stormed the fire house, killing or capturing most of the raiders. Brown was tried for treason by the State of Virginia, convicted, and executed. The failed raid was a major catalyst in accelerating the slide to Civil War. Brown was successfully prosecuted by Andrew Hunter, whom would later share a stage in Harpers Ferry with Frederick Douglass.

The Civil War was disastrous for Harpers Ferry. Due to the town's strategic location on the railroad and at the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley, both Union and Confederate troops moved through Harpers Ferry frequently. The Battle of Harper's Ferry, was fought here. In fact, the town changed hands eight times between 1861 and 1865. The arsenal was destroyed and arms production never returned to Harpers Ferry.

In 1944 most of the town became part of the National Park Service and it is now maintained as the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

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Geography

Image:WVMap-doton-HarpersFerry.PNG Harpers Ferry is located at 39°19'31" North, 77°44'37" West (39.325398, -77.743599)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²). 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 9.68% water.

Today, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal right-of-way has been made into a park, with the C&O Canal Trail following the old towpath from Harpers Ferry to Washington, DC.

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Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there were 307 people, 153 households, and 89 families residing in the town. The population density was 211.7/km² (552.2/mi²). There were 189 housing units at an average density of 130.3/km² (339.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.90% White, 9.12% African American, 0.33% Native American, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 153 households out of which 17.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.56.

In the town the population was spread out with 17.3% under the age of 18, 2.0% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,344, and the median income for a family was $70,313. Males had a median income of $45,417 versus $22,708 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,638. 2.2% of the population and 3.2% of families were below the poverty line. 2.8% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

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