Jul 24, 2015

Historic Harpers Ferry, W.Va. has been a popular tourist destination for Civil War enthusiasts and nature-lovers alike for decades.

On Thursday, July 22, 2015, an early morning fire ripped through several early-1800s buildings in this beloved historic town early Thursday, damaging several businesses and threatening the national park that commemorates a pivotal moment in U.S. history.

“This is devastating for Harpers Ferry,” said Gregory Vaughan, mayor of the town at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia all come together.

The buildings “have been standing there for almost 200 years,” Vaughn said, “and they withstood the test of time — until 2015, unfortunately.”
Read more about the fire

: Jefferson’s Rock in Harpers Ferry, 1959. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Steps leading to Harper House and Catholic church. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1943)

: A U.S. Park Service official sits atop a stone wall, all that remains today of a Union fort which held 3,000 men during the Civil War on Maryland Heights at Harpers Ferry. (Clarence B. Garrett/Baltimore Sun, 1965)

: Old canal lock on the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, opposite of Harpers Ferry. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1943)

: Stone support are all that remain of the covered bridge which led from Mayland Heights to Harpers Ferry at the start of the Civil War. (Clarence B. Garrett/Baltimore Sun, 1965)

: Harpers Ferry, 1974. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Steve Wilt, Blacksmith’s assistant sits in the blacksmith shop in Harpers Ferry. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun, 1974)

: Harpers Ferry, 1936. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Ruins of house next to Wager House. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1943)

: The Harper House – oldest in Harpers Ferry. Built of stone in 1780 by Robert Harper. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1943)

: John Brown’s Fort – the fire engine house of Harpers Ferry. (AP Wirephoot, 1959)

: Harpers Ferry restored to appear as it did when John Brown raided the Federal arsenal in 1859. (Baltimore Sun archives, 1974)

: Lithograph of Harpers Ferry before the war. (Baltimore Sun archives, 1931)

: Harper house built in the late 1700’s by Robert Harper. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1943)

: Robert Harper’s “offspring house” carved from solid rock. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1943)

: Jefferson’s Rock – where Thomas Jefferson wrote part of his “Notes on Virginia.” (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1947)

: Down an old stairway looking toward the home erected by Col. Edward Lucas, superintendent of Harpers Ferry arsenal about 1850. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1943)

: Harpers Ferry as seen from Maryland Heights across the Potomac. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1962)

: Old stage coach inn in the early days of Harpers Ferry. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1943)

: Old Masonic Temple, erected in 1848 – topped by “new” Catholic Church, erected in 1896. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1943)

: Grave of Robert Harper. (A. Aubrey Bodine/Baltimore Sun, 1943)

: Harpers Ferry, 1925. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Harpers Ferry. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Harpers Ferry, 1928. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Harpers Ferry, 1925. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Harpers Ferry, 1925. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Harpers Ferry, 1925. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: The Washington to Cumberland passenger run, coming through the tunnel in Harpers Ferry. (Irving Phillips/Baltimore Sun, 1973)

: Harpers Ferry, 1965. (Baltimore Sun archives)

: Harpers Ferry, 1965. (Clarence B. Garrett/Baltimore Sun)

: Commuters arrive at Harpers Ferry station. (Irving Phillips/Baltimore Sun, 1973)

: The “fort” on the old Storer College grounds. Because a reversed photo was used as a guide, it was reerected with the door at the left instead of the right. (Baltimore Sun archives, 1966)