WV, Harper's Ferry National Historical Park

Harper's Ferry was a vital link between the east and west halves of the nation during the 19th century. The Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal both intersect at Harper's Ferry. The B&O began operation in 1834 and was the first passenger railroad in the United States. Harper's Ferry continues as an important link for the B&O railroad on its east/ west passage.

It was the nation's first President (George Washington) that designated Harper's Ferry for national recognition. He convinced Congress to build a National Armory here in 1794. The armory supported the economy for 60 years. Manufacturing guns from 1794-1861 until the Union burned the armory to prevent its Confederate capture.

One of Harper's Ferry's most significant historical moments came with John Brown's fight against slavery. It is here where John Brown led twenty men on an unsuccessful attack of the federal arsenal in 1859. A staunch abolitionist, John Brown was captured at Harper's Ferry and hung for murder and treason by the same forces that would eventually accomplish his goal of abolition. Lincoln responded to John Brown's execution with a troubled heart but realized that anarchy would ensue if order was not maintained. Lawlessness had to be dealt a decisive blow.

This incident prompted intense discussions and debate over the morality of slavery and was a prelude to the impending battles of the Civil War. The quiet before the storm. Two years later, the Civil War that John Brown had envisioned began. The South's attack of Fort Sumter (South Carolina) on April 12, 1861 was the first engagement of the Civil War. A solemn period in American History in which a nation would be torn apart by its own hands. Brother against brother in a war that would be one of the greatest challenges to America's unity.