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| Harpers Ferry National Historical Park | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia |
| Coordinates | 39°19′22″N 77°43′47″W / 39.32278°N 77.72972°W |
| Area | 3,660.73 acres (14.8144 km2)[1] |
| Established | June 30, 1944 |
| Visitors | 407,008 (in 2022)[2] |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Harpers Ferry National Historical Park |
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park | |
| Location | Confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers Harpers Ferry, West Virginia |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000041[3] (original) 16000238 (increase) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Boundary increase | May 10, 2016 |
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, originally Harpers Ferry National Monument, is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers in and around Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The park includes the historic center of Harpers Ferry, notable as a key 19th-century industrial area and as the scene of John Brown's failed abolitionist uprising. It contains the most visited historic site in the state of West Virginia, John Brown's Fort.[4]
The park includes land in the Shenandoah Valley in Jefferson County, West Virginia; Washington County, Maryland and Loudoun County, Virginia. The park is managed by the National Park Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Originally designated Harpers Ferry National Monument in 1944, the park was declared a National Historical Park by the U.S. Congress in 1963. Consisting of almost 4,000 acres (16 km2), it includes the site of which Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "The passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature" after visiting the area in 1783.[5] Due to a mixture of historical events and ample recreational opportunities, all within 50 miles (80 km) of Washington, D.C., the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.[6] In 2017, the Park's Superintendent was Tyrone Brandyburg.[7]
The park was originally planned as a memorial to John Brown, responsible for what is by far the most famous incident in Harpers Ferry's history, his 1859 raid and capture of the federal armory. NPS officials in the 1930s focused on John Brown's raid and the Civil War to justify acquiring parts of Harpers Ferry for a historical and military park. This was opposed by organizations such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.[8]: 86
- ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved June 16, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
- ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#66000041)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "John Brown". e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. December 5, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ Jefferson, Thomas (1829). Notes on the State of Virginia, p. 17. Wells and Lilly, Boston.
- ^ Snell, Charles W.; Mackintosh, Barry (June 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park". National Park Service. With accompanying 114 photos
- ^ Quigley, Aiden (April 3, 2017). "Spicer: Trump donating first-quarter salary to National Park Service". Politico. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
At the start of the daily White House press briefing, Spicer handed a check for $78,333.32 to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and Tyrone Brandyburg, the superintendent of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia.
- ^ Moyer, Teresa S.; Shackel, Paul A. (2008). The Making of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park: A Devil, Two Rivers, and a Dream. Altamira Press. ISBN 978-0759110656. OCLC 1058473018.