Trip to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Mommy and The Big Guy (TBG) took a day trip on Saturday.  They went to Harpers Ferry, in West Virginia.  Harpers Ferry is a historic town situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers where the U.S. states of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia meet. Here are some facts about Harpers Ferry:

• visited by George Washington on his very first surveying expedition at the age of 17 

• was cited by Thomas Jefferson, after a visit, as such a beautiful spot that it was worth a trip across the Atlantic

• was the starting place of the Lewis and Clarke expedition

• was the site of the first crossing of the Potomac by a railroad, on the first structural steel bridge in the world

• was the industrial town where using interchangeable parts in a manufacturing process was first invented and proven practical

• was the site of the John Brown raid which precipitated the Civil War

• was the first command of Stonewall Jackson, who raised and trained his famed Brigade here

• was the site of three Civil War battles, the major one involving over 30,000 troops on both sides which resulted in the largest surrender of US troops until Bataan in WWII

• was a major retreat center in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century for many notables, including seven presidents, Mark Twain, and many others

• was cited by art history experts as the most "painted town" in America, because of its spectacular scenery.

Hilltop House - Now in ruins. Historic hotel/restaurant. Badly in need of preservation. Beautiful view from here:

Mommy found a couple of new woofie friends, of course.  This is Little Dog - yes that is her name!

This is Little Dog's sister, Ashley.  Their Mommy lives in Harpers Ferry and was just taking her woofies for a walk.  Mommy had to meet them, of course. 

View from Hill Top House:

Along the river where houses and business once stood - you can still see the foundations:

St Peter's Catholic Church - circa 1888-1892:

Some Fevvers paddling down the Shenandoah River:

Stone Steps leading up to Jefferson Rock, which were carved directly into the phyllite in the lower town in the 19th century:

See this sign?  Do YOU think that MOMMY should have been climbing them?  uSSSSS either.  TBG (The Big Guy) told her not to climb them.  But, you all know Mommy, she found them irresistible.  TBG stayed right behind her and made her climb them very slowly! 

View of the town from the top of the stairs:

General Store - restored and preserved in the conditions of the Civil War era.

Okay, Mommy thought that was funny that the Shoemaker was named John Legg!  Do you share her weird sense of humor? 

Beautiful rock formations:

Hope that you enjoyed these photographs as much as Mommy enjoyed her trip!

 

Mommy says that you can't visit West Virginia without singing this song (she guarantees that it will be stuck in your head all day):