Hitting the Road to Harpers Ferry

On Friday, May 7, I left Boston with my mom to meet up with my brother in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia before setting off alone on my bike trip. My brother is moving abroad later this summer and will likely be gone before I return from my trip. We decided we wanted to meet somewhere for the day within a reasonable distance from both Washington, D.C. (where my brother lives) and Pittsburgh, PA where my bike trip was to begin. I pushed for Harper’s Ferry because Meriwether Lewis stopped there en route to Pittsburgh himself.

We spent Saturday exploring the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. We walked the narrow streets in the midst of sun showers. I had a chance to speak with a National Park ranger to get the skinny on all the Meriwether Lewis themed attractions.  We saw the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers and the foundation of an old inn where they think he may have stayed in 1803. Lewis went there to commission an iron-boat frame that he had conceptualized with Thomas Jefferson for the express purpose of the expedition. There is a reproduction of the frame near the river. There is also a small exhibit on the supplies that he purchased there for the journey. 

There are a number of  buildings in Harpers Ferry including storefronts that replicate the nineteenth century town. For fans of American history, there is a major connection between Harper’s Ferry and the abolitionist, John Brown.