Harpers Ferry

Jefferson County · U. S. 340 at junction of Washington and Jackson streets. · location approximate

Named for Robert Harper, who settled here, 1734. Scene of raid by John Brown in 1859 to seize the Federal arsenal and armory built here, 1796. He was captured by U. S. troops under Colonel Robert E. Lee, convicted of treason, and hanged.

1937 text, presented as a historical document. It uses the period's terms for Native and Black people, and tells frontier history from the settler's side.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyExpected here. This page shows the older published text, and some signs were recast later. Telling us still helps.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

Marker data: State Road Commission of West Virginia, West Virginia Historic and Scenic Highway Markers (1937), text by Ross B. Johnston

More markers nearby

See your own family's places through time.

Start with your family tree