I drove north to Ranson, West Virginia for a race. I had an hour or two before the festivities so I drove over to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. I did a little research prior to arriving, but it didn’t prepare me for what I saw.
I think I was expecting to see a few historical buildings related to John Brown and typical exhibits related to it. But it was so much more. This continues my pattern of researching a little, going to see something and learning so much – and realizing I need to go back to take full advantage of the area.
I took the shuttle from the Visitor Center because I didn’t think I could drive in and it was a great option. Later I found out you can drive but parking is pricey. Plus, if I drove I wouldn’t have experienced everything I did walking. I walked through the village and read the interpretive signs.
I saw the building that John Brown raided which was an insurrection against slavery.
Brown’s arrest and execution sparked outrage and became the defining moment in the abolitionist movement. That’s what I remember about Harpers Ferry from history and reading, but then I walked towards the water and I realized that the Appalachian Trail ran through here.
It is also the convergence of two main rivers: Shenandoah and Potomac; and three trails:
I saw the white AT markers and followed it to a ramshackle bridge and active railroad tunnel.
I saw a through-hiker who looked very tired. I followed the trail for a bit through town to see where it took me. Up Up Up on cobble stones and to a better view of the tunnel and the rivers.
I walked back through the town and looked at the exhibits and learned more about the civil war battles and Storer College, a historically Black college that operated from 1867 to 1955.
What a historical place. So much to learn and understand. I didn’t have a lot of time so I know I’ll be back, hopefully while hiking the AT.
