Local History – Historic Sites Along Harpers Ferry Road, Maryland

      
         When you hear Harpers Ferry, you probably think of the historic town of Harpers Ferry, WV. But across the Potomac River is a 10-mile stretch of road also named Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry Road in Washington County, MD, has played a significant role in US history, especially in the 1800s. The blog highlights some significant historical sites along its length - from where it starts in the south, connecting with Sandy Hook Road, to where the name changes to South Mechanic Street after crossing High Street in Sharpsburg.

Map of Harpers Ferry Road, Washington County, Maryland  (Image Courtesy of the Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3584532,-77.7389651,12z?entry=ttu))


      The history of transportation is reflected in the area at the southernmost end of the road. There are two rivers - the Potomac and the Shenandoah. Native Americans moved through this area on foot and on the rivers for hundreds of years before European settlers moved into the area. Robert Harper started a ferry across the Potomac here in 1747, linking what is the now town of Harpers Ferry to Harpers Ferry Road. The road parallels the remains of the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal, which operated between 1828-1924 and primarily moved coal from western Maryland to Washington, D.C. Many of the canal’s original structures, including locks, remain, including some along Harpers Ferry Road. The Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) railroad reached the area at the southern end of Harpers Ferry Road in 1833; the railroad bridge over the Potomac River was not completed until 1837.[i]

Remains of C&O Canal near Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry Road runs above the canal; the guardrail for this road can be seen starting on the left. The Potomac River is out of the frame to the right. (Image Courtesy of the National Park Service (https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/images/IMG_8189-2.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false&quality=78&format=webp))

      During the Battle of Harpers Ferry in September 1862, Confederate forces surrounded the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, in part by taking over artillery positions on Maryland Heights, just above Harpers Ferry Road. Fifteen hundred Union cavalrymen escaped the encirclement by crossing the Potomac River and riding north on Harpers Ferry Road and beyond.[ii]

 Town of Harpers Ferry, Potomac (right) and Shenandoah (left) Rivers, and B&O Railroad Bridge from Maryland Heights. Harpers Ferry Road visible in the bottom right corner, as it runs along the Potomac River. (Image Courtesy of the National Park Service (https://blueandgrayeducation.org/2021/05/travel-guide-civil-war-harpers-ferry/))


      The Kennedy Farmhouse, just east of Harpers Ferry Road on Chestnut Ferry Road, is one of two National Historic Landmarks in Washington County. John Brown used the farmhouse to support his raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, then Virginia, on October 16, 1859. Brown and his followers often traveled on Harpers Ferry Road to do reconnaissance of the arsenal in the months leading up to the raid.[iii]

Kennedy Farmhouse Used by John Brown as Raid Headquarters (Image Courtesy of the National Park Service (https://www.nps.gov/places/kennedy-farm.htm))

      A couple of miles south of the town of Antietam, where Harpers Ferry Road crosses Antietam Creek, there are a couple of historic sites. One of the area’s first settlers, Israel Friend, built a gristmill there in the early 1730s, followed by a forge. The forge supposedly built cannons for the Continental Army used in the American Revolutionary War. The forge, now called the Antietam Iron Works, was the largest area business for decades, with as many as 250 employees and 50 slaves. Just down the hill from the iron works is the Antietam Iron Works Bridge, a single-lane stone bridge built in 1832. This bridge is of similar design to the famous Burnside Bridge a couple of miles upstream and part of the Antietam Battlefield.[iv]


Antietam Iron Works Bridge over Antietam Creek (Image Courtesy of the Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/resource/highsm.17045/?r=-0.465,-0.008,1.897,0.851,0)

 

     The Battle of Antietam is the single deadliest day in U.S. military history, with just under 23,000 casualties. Fought on September 17, 1862, the Union Army won the battle but at a high cost. It ended the Confederate Army’s invasion of Maryland. After defeating the Union garrison at the town of Harpers Ferry a few days earlier, Lieutenant General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson moved Confederate forces north on Harpers Ferry Road to rejoin General Robert E. Lee and the rest of the Army of Northern Virginia to fight in the Antietam battle. While much of the battlefield is north and east of Harpers Ferry Road, the southern end including part of the National Park Driving Tour, is along this road.[v]

Artillery used during the Battle of Antietam, near Harpers Ferry Road (Image Courtesy of the National Park Service (https://www.nps.gov/anti/learn/photosmultimedia/tour-stop-9-the-final-attack.htm))

     To recognize the significance of this history, there are five national parks along this road. They include the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and Antietam National Battlefield on either end of the road. The Appalachian Trail National Scenic Trail is on the southern end. The C&O Canal National Historical Park and Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail run just west of the road.[vi]

 

SOURCE LIST

“Antietam Ironworks.” C&O Canal Trust. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.canaltrust.org/pyv/antietam-ironworks/.

“Antietam Iron Furnace - Sharpsburg, MD.” Waymarking.com. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm4DP2_Antietam_Iron_Furnace_Sharpsburg_MD.

“Antietam Iron Works Bridge.” Historical Marker Database. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=3206.

“Antietam, Sharpsburg.” American Battlefield Trust. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/antietam.

Berg, Gordon. “Union Cavalry Escapes from Besieged Harpers Ferry.” HistoryNet. April 8, 2011. https://www.historynet.com/union-cavalry-escapes-from-besieged-harpers-ferry/.

“Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.” National Park Foundation. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.nationalparks.org/explore/parks/chesapeake-and-ohio-canal-national-historical-park.

“Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.” National Park Service. Accessed February 25, 2024. http://npshistory.com/publications/hafe/index.htm.

“History.” John Brown Raid Headquarters. Accessed February 25, 2024.  https://johnbrown.org/history/.

“Kennedy Farm.” National Park Service. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.nps.gov/places/kennedy-farm.htm.

Lee, Andrew S. Historical Background Report: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Harpers Ferry Station. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, National Park Service, 2003. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/hafe/harpers_ferry_station.pdf.

“Maryland.” National Park Service. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.nps.gov/state/md/index.htm.

“Maryland Campaign.” Encyclopedia Virginia. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/maryland-campaign/.


     [i] “Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.” National Park Foundation. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.nationalparks.org/explore/parks/chesapeake-and-ohio-canal-national-historical-park; Andrew S. Lee, Historical Background Report: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Harpers Ferry Station. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, National Park Service, 2003. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/hafe/harpers_ferry_station.pdf.

     [ii] Gordon Berg, “Union Cavalry Escapes from Besieged Harpers Ferry,” HistoryNet, April 8, 2011, https://www.historynet.com/union-cavalry-escapes-from-besieged-harpers-ferry/.

     [iii] “History.” John Brown Raid Headquarters. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://johnbrown.org/history/; “Kennedy Farm.” National Park Service. Accessed February 25, 2024. https://www.nps.gov/places/kennedy-farm.htm.

     [iv] “Antietam Ironworks,” C&O Canal Trust, accessed February 25, 2024, https://www.canaltrust.org/pyv/antietam-ironworks/; “Antietam Iron Furnace - Sharpsburg, MD,” Waymarking.com, accessed February 25, 2024, https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm4DP2_Antietam_Iron_Furnace_Sharpsburg_MD; “Antietam Iron Works Bridge,” Historical Marker Database, accessed February 25, 2024, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=3206.

     [v] “Antietam, Sharpsburg,” American Battlefield Trust, accessed February 25, 2024, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/antietam; “Maryland Campaign,” Encyclopedia Virginia, accessed February 25, 2024, https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/maryland-campaign/.

     [vi] “Maryland,” National Park Service, accessed February 25, 2024, https://www.nps.gov/state/md/index.htm.

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