Sunday, October 27, 2013

Aloha to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia


On Saturday, we visited Harpers Ferry - a National Park at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, bringing together three states:  Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland.   It is a historic community with picturesque streets and interactive exhibits.  From its website (link),

It is more than one event, one date, or one individual. It is multi-layered - involving a diverse number of people and events that influenced the course of our nation's history. Harpers Ferry witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable manufacture, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown's attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States.


Harpers Ferry is step back in time .... 


... even the Americans in the 1800s enjoyed coffee!


The Shenandoah River, to the left, joins the Potomac River, to the right.


The railroad spans the Shenandoah River with a pedestrian bridge ...


... that is part of the Appalachian Trail.


Americans built quality iron works over 100 years ago ..


 ... although the roof on the stone house fell to the elements.


Here's a view of the Potomac from the Maryland side of the bridge.
  

 St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church rises above the town ... 


... from its Facebook page (link),

The original church was built in 1833 in a pseudo-Gothic style which it kept through the Civil War, in which it was the only church in Harpers Ferry to escape destruction. The church was extensively altered in 1896 in the then-popular Neo-Gothic style to produce the church seen today. 

  
Harpers Ferry contributed to the Lewis and Clark Expedition - something I did not know!


As we waited for the shuttle back to the parking lot, I spotted this "house within a house".

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City


15 comments:

  1. Seen West Virginia and had to see how far away it was from me. 5 hours

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  2. Great pictures, I am really enjoy your sites.

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  3. Enjoyed the pictures of Harper's Ferry. It looks like an interesting place to visit.

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  4. It very much reminds me of my Pennsylvania!

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  5. So many sites to visit and learn about its history.

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  6. Thanks Kim...visited Harper's Ferry last year in Sep...so pretty.

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  7. So much history. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. I've passed by this area many times over the years but am always on my way to somewhere else - I should make the time to stop by - Thanks!

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  9. We visited there two years ago. That Maine-Georgia trail shot was one of my favorites!

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  10. Hi Kim!

    The one chance we got to visit Harpers Ferry was shortly after we were married in 1970 and at the time Route 95 didn't go all the way to Jacksonville where my husband was station at NAS Cecil Field and we were heading to Connecticut to visit his family. Where today it's much easier to get there then it was a long was off the road but well worth they time and effort.

    Since my husband loves visiting sites that are part of the growth of our country how could we not visit the site of where Meriwether Clark visited in 1803? It sounds like you loved it as much as we did!

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  11. What great photos! I totally would love to walk some of the Appalachian Trail. And I love the pedestrian bridge over the river. The church is really nice, and the house within a house looks fun. And the fall colors are pretty. What a fun day!

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  12. I can't believe that I never got to see this when we went to Virginia. Thanks for the beautiful pics though.

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  13. Interesting looking place

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