Harpers Ferry

I took advantage of the Columbus Day holiday and great weather to re-discover Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Located along the Appalachian Trail at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, the historic town is mostly managed now by the National Park Service, which does a very good job of presenting the place to tourists.

You can hike the trail - there’s a sign with arrows telling you how far it is to either Maine or Georgia - or stroll leisurely along a path between the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Potomac River. You can take in as few or as many free historic exhibits as you have the brain cells to absorb or shop and spend along High Street on postcards, gifts and food. And you can simply take in breathtaking views of the rivers running below the mountains.

There’s a wonderful old cemetery on a hill near Jefferson’s Rock, where the third President proclaimed the view worth a trip across the Atlantic. There’s the site where John Brown led his raid that came to be immortalized in The Battle Hymn of the Republic.  

The town was named after a Quaker who settled there and for the most common form of transportation before the bridges, canal and railroad came along. Fought over during the Civil War, occupied by both sides multiple times, and then ravaged by a series of deadly floods; Harpers Ferry probably only survived because the federal government adopted it for its historic significance and natural beauty.

Sadly my favorite place to eat there - the Hilltop House - atop one of the highest points in town has been closed indefinitely. But there are lots of little restaurants and also may places to have your own picnic. 

Check out www.historicharpersferry.com. It’s less than a ninety minute car ride away. Make sure - before you go - to visit http://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm