Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia is midway between Front Royal, Virginia and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  Instead of stopping in the motorhome, we made a day trip from Front Royal.  There was absolutely no street parking available, and when we followed signs that said, "Vistor Parking this way", we were taken in a roundabout direction away from the town.  We almost turned around and left, but decided to at least check it out.  Visitor parking is at the National Park nearby and provides shuttles into town.  Actually, a good share of the town itself is part of the National Park.   Harpers Ferry is tucked into a triangle of land right where the Shenandoah River empties into the Potomac River.  In October, 1859, John Brown attacked Harpers Ferry where Heyward Shepard was killed.  Less than two months later, John Brown was executed.  This attack is considered one of the contributing factors to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.