Harpers Ferry in West Virginia, is the site of John Brown's Raid. John was an ardent abolitionist who felt God had given him the mission to eradicate slavery. He, his sons and several followers, murdered many white slave owners in Pottawattamie, Kansas which then led to retalitory killings. The event became known as Bleeding Kansas and many Historians believe this event really started the Civil War.
John Brown and his followers had hoped to enlist a hundred or so slaves in the area of West Virginia to begin a large rebellion. They planned to take over the military armory andhand out weapons to local slaves. The rebellion did not go well for John. He did not get the massive amount of slaves to come join his cause like he thought he would.
The military arrived and cornered John here. Several of his supporters were killed, including a couple of his sons.
John was captured, sent to jail to await his trial. He presented his case in logical, rational well thought out speeches, however, he was sentenced to die by hanging. He is called a fanatic, mentally unstable - both then and now - though the evidence and proof to support that claim are sketchy. He went to the gallows proclaiming himself a martyr for the slavery cause, emphatically believing God had called him to do this.
Statue to Lewis and Clark
The Tavern as it appeared in the early 1800's
Pictures from the time period
Inside the tavern
On the Green, rail line in background
It's a quaint wonderful town that is very much preserved as it was in the 1850's
The town is built in the mountainside
Brick houses and alley ways just as it was in the 1850's
Looking up the mountain side, these homes and buildings are a little more newer than 1850
Harpers Ferry in West Virginia, is the site of John Brown's Raid. John was an ardent abolitionist who felt God had given him the mission to eradicate slavery. He, his sons and several followers, murdered many white slave owners in Pottawattamie, Kansas which then led to retalitory killings. The event became known as Bleeding Kansas and many Historians believe this event really started the Civil War. 
John Brown and his followers had hoped to enlist a hundred or so slaves in the area of West Virginia to begin a large rebellion. They planned to take over the military armory andhand out weapons to local slaves. The rebellion did not go well for John. He did not get the massive amount of slaves to come join his cause like he thought he would.
The military arrived and cornered John here. Several of his supporters were killed, including a couple of his sons. 
John was captured, sent to jail to await his trial. He presented his case in logical, rational well thought out speeches, however, he was sentenced to die by hanging. He is called a fanatic, mentally unstable - both then and now - though the evidence and proof to support that claim are sketchy. He went to the gallows proclaiming himself a martyr for the slavery cause, emphatically believing God had called him to do this. 
Statue to Lewis and Clark
The Tavern as it appeared in the early 1800's
Pictures from the time period
Inside the tavern
On the Green, rail line in background
It's a quaint wonderful town that is very much preserved as it was in the 1850's
The town is built in the mountainside
Brick houses and alley ways just as it was in the 1850's
Looking up the mountain side, these homes and buildings are a little more newer than 1850
Church at the top of the hill. There is a steep climb to the church, then another 1/2 mile more behind it. It is said that Thomas Jefferson walked this and came to a large boulder that overlooked the valley below. 
Old Church ruins
Wonderful little town to visit! You only need a day to visit all the little museums and shops. A Civil War battle also happened here and there are current archealogical excavations happening as well. 
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