Harpers Ferry Story Archives - Page 12 of 13 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

U.S. Senator Capito Visits Site of Harpers Ferry Fire

Harpers Ferry Mayor, Gregory Vaughn shows U.S. Senator, Shelley Moore Capito the fire wreckage in Harpers Ferry.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito visited Harpers Ferry Thursday to look at the wreckage left by a fire last week.

It’s been one week since a massive fire devastated four historic buildings containing eight shops and two apartments in the commercial district of Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry Mayor, Gregory Vaughn said Monday the damage affected nearly half of commercial businesses in the town.

During the week, Vaughn held talks with affected shop owners and with state officials to discuss rebuilding. On Thursday, Vaughn met with U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito to give her a tour of the wreckage.

Capito said during the tour that getting things back to normal would require all hands on deck, but that finding the funds to restore the historic buildings, shouldn’t be too difficult.

“It’s going to be a little bit easier lift, because there’s such intertwined with national resources and treasurers, you know the National Park and all the historic preservation in and around this area,” Capito noted, “And so, you know, we’re gonna work with whatever department we can, make those phone calls, hopefully we can shake some trees.”

The West Virginia Fire Marshal’s office says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Harpers Ferry Blaze Caused About $2 Million in Damage

A state fire official says a fire in Harpers Ferry’s commercial area caused about $2 million in damage.

Assistant state fire marshal George Harms tells The Herald-Mail that the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined.

The fire occurred on Thursday and destroyed four buildings that housed eight businesses and two apartments.

Harpers Ferry Mayor, Gregory Vaughn says the damage affected nearly half of commercial businesses in the town and says for the 280 residents, it was a major setback. However, despite the loss, tourists turned out in large numbers over the weekend. Vaughn says shops and restaurants unaffected by the fire were packed with people.

Vaughn also says there’s been an overwhelming amount of support shown nationally.

“It’s uplifting, and I think that that has given us the strength and courage to move forward and further defining what we need to do to return historic Harpers Ferry,” Vaughn said.

Harpers Ferry officials met on Saturday to discuss the fire’s impact and rebuilding.

The buildings were constructed in the 1800s.

Harpers Ferry sits on a peninsula at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. The town was the site of a failed raid on a federal arsenal in 1859 by abolitionist John Brown. The attack raised public tensions before the Civil War.

Fire Devastates Harpers Ferry's Commercial Area

Harpers Ferry Mayor Gregory Vaughn says an early morning fire has devastated the historic town’s commercial area.

Vaughn says the fire destroyed seven to eight businesses housed in one building. An adjacent restaurant sustained substantial damage. No one was injured.

Crews were still on scene Thursday morning.

The buildings were constructed in the 1800s. The commercial area is adjacent to Harpers Ferry National Historic Park.

Vaughn says he was notified of the fire around 4:30 a.m. Thursday. The cause hasn’t been determined, but emergency officials say it began around 3 in the morning.

Vaughn says he is grief stricken for the community and for the shop and property owners affected by the fire.

Damage from a fire in downtown Harpers Ferry.

“It’s a personal, of course loss, huge loss, but the loss for our town is devastating. This is such a beautiful town, and people come here literally from all over the world,” said Cindi Dunn, whose shop, the Vintage Lady, was caught in the blaze.

Many shop owners are trying to salvage what they can, reaching through burned window frames. Local emergency officials say there were no injuries.

Harpers Ferry was the site of a failed raid on a federal arsenal in 1858 by abolitionist John Brown. During the Civil War, Harpers Ferry changed hands eight times between 1861 and 1865.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Contends for 10Best Historic Southern Attraction in USA Today

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is a contender for Best Historic Southern Attraction in the USA Today, 10Best Readers’ Choice contest.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is located at the convergence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. It was established in 1963, and includes the town of Harpers Ferry, the scene of John Brown’s raid, which is viewed by many historians as the spark that ignited the Civil War.

Nearly 500,000 people visit the park every year to experience its cultural and recreational attractions.

The park is currently among the top 20 attractions compiled by a panel of travel journalists for USA Today and the final ten will be chosen by public vote.

Voting ends on May 25^th at and is open to everyone. The public can vote once per day, per category.

The New River Gorge National River’s Endless Wall Trail was chosen as the nation’s best national park hike in a USA Today’s Readers’ Choice contest earlier this year.

October 16, 1859: John Brown Captures U.S. Armory

John Brown, and a band of anti-slavery men, captured the U.S. armory at Harpers Ferry on the night of October 16, 1859. Earlier in the year, Brown had settled into a western Maryland farmhouse, where he trained his 18-man army in military tactics. His goal was to seize weapons from the national armory at Harpers Ferry and arm slaves, who would then overthrow their masters.

National Park Service Seeks Public Comments on Shepherdstown Battlefield Boundary Adjustment

This week is the last chance to make a public comment about a boundary adjustment for the Shepherdstown Battlefield. The National Park Service is looking for thoughts and opinions on whether the battlefield should be part of the park system. If so, will it be an addition to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park or Antietam National Battlefield?

On September 19^th and 20^th 1862, the Battle of Shepherdstown was underway. Some say, this battle may have significantly changed the course of the American Civil War. Edward Dunleavy, the President of the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association says it was this small battle that caused Confederate General, Robert E. Lee to retreat south, halting his Maryland campaign.

“Lincoln had talked to his cabinet in July of 1862 about releasing the Emancipation Proclamation,” Dunleavy said, “and his secretary of state, Seward, said if you do it now without a military victory, it will fall on deaf ears, but if you do it after a military victory, it’ll have some importance. So the Union army could claim a military victory by pushing Lee’s army in retreat back into Virginia, and on September 22^nd, the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation was released by Lincoln. That’s the significance of this battle.”

Dunleavy thinks the Shepherdstown Battlefield would be better as an addition to Antietam, because he says historically, it makes more sense.

“From a purely Civil War standpoint, it really should be part of the Antietam Battlefield,” he argued, “Not to take anything away from Harpers Ferry, but the fact is, there was an enormous surrender at Harpers Ferry during the Maryland campaign, but there was really no battle that ever happened there.”

While most of the opinions from the public and even the National Park Service seem to be overwhelmingly for Antietam, that’s still up for debate.

The boundary adjustment will be re-evaluated by both the National Park Service and Congress. Dunleavy says it will probably take at least six months or longer before a decision is made.

The comment period will end on Friday, October 3rd.