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Shepherdstown/ The immensely picturesque area that Thomas Jefferson said was “worth a voyage across the Atlantic” to see is seen today by more than one million visitors annually, yet remains little changed from the 19th century. From an information center west of town, buses shuttle visitors every five minutes into the historic lower town, which is blissfully tranquil because vehicular traffic is light. The town of Harpers Ferry boomed after it was designated a federal armory and arsenal, manufacturing many of the munitions used in the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The buildings were the targets of abolitionist John Brown's raid, aimed at arming the slaves for insurrection. The town of 3,000 declined rapidly because of destruction wrought by the Civil War and repeated flooding. It was a sleepy little hamlet when taken over by the National Park Service in 1944 and restored in what has since become a national model for historic park preservation. The park's four themes are industry, John Brown's raid on the arsenal, the Civil War and black history. The last is represented by Storer College, a normal school for the education of freed blacks that started in an abandoned armory dwelling in the upper town. Park employees in period clothing present living history programs and guided tours in the streets and restored buildings during summer and on certain weekends. Most of the sites are clustered along Shenandoah Street in Lower Town. The old Stage Coach Inn is now the Harpers Ferry Historical Association's excellent bookstore and an information center. The Master Armorer's House is a museum on gunmaking. Stop at the old dry goods store, where the 1850s price list puts neckties at 35 cents each. John Brown's Fort is the old armory firehouse where he and his followers were captured. Other attractions include the Blacksmith Shop, Provost Office, John Brown Museum, Whitehall Tavern and a confectionery. From the lower town, the town marches in European fashion up a steep hill without a 20th-century intrusion. The Stone Steps – we counted 56 of them – begin a trail to the upper town. A sign says the trail takes 45 minutes and is steep at the start, but the views of rivers, bridges, lower town and surrounding heights “are well worth it.” First comes the 1775 Harper House, built by the town's founder, now restored as an 1850s tenant house to represent the crowded conditions and lack of housing in the town's industrial heyday. Opposite are springhouses and root cellars, small caves carved into the shale cliffs. Next is St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, an 1833 stone church and a commanding presence, but difficult to reach by car for Sunday Masses. Beyond are the ruins of St. John's Episcopal Church and Jefferson Rock, vantage point for the “stupendous” view. (304) 535-6223. www.nps.gov/hafe. Park and
visitor center open daily, 8 to 5. Admission (good for three days), $3
per individual, $5 per vehicle. Other Towns. Charles Town, the busy county
seat, is of interest primarily to Washington family buffs and racing
fans. A Washington descendant still lives in Harewood, the 1770 home of
Samuel Washington, but all six Washington family homes are privately
owned and not opened to the public. A brochure illustrates a walking
tour of historic points so spread out that most prefer to drive. Some
are satisfied simply viewing the collections at the Jefferson County
Museum. Thoroughbred racing is featured at the Charles Town Races and
sports car racing at the Summit Point Raceway. Hiking. The Appalachian Trail crosses the Potomac on the same railroad-pedestrian bridge that tourists use to get near the railroad tunnel and onto the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal towpath. Favorite hikes are to Maryland Heights and Overlook Cliffs, a four-mile round trip that rewards the hardy with the view of Harpers Ferry that is the trademark of the area. Other trails lead to Virginius Island, Jefferson Rock, Loudoun Heights and Bolivar Heights. Shopping. We aren’t particularly impressed with a lot of the shops in Harpers Ferry, most of them geared to tourists and the better ones tucked away out of sight. But there are exceptions: the handcrafted stoneware and porcelain at Westwinds Potters and the original folk art collectibles and handmade crafts in an 1829 dwelling called Marmion House Gifts. Grape Expectations offers “something grape for everyone,” especially West Virginia wines, picnic baskets, glassware and ceramics. We like the collectibles at Stone House Antiques. Almost every other building along High Street seems to be a snacky café, ice cream or coffee shop. Their names (The Garden of Food, Hot Dog Haven, Old-Fashioned Cookies and Peanuts) indicate what they are about. In Shepherdstown, Dickinson & Wait is an exceptional pottery studio and craft gallery. Village Green is a trove of gifts and decorative accessories, with Village Finery for women's apparel upstairs. O'Hurley's General Store is a must stop. Maggie's Marketplace specializes in natural foods. For a snack there’s Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe, a bakery that makes everything it sells, specializes in whole-grain European breads with no sugar or additives, and the coffee is 35 cents if you bring your own cup (otherwise, 45 and 80 cents). Wonderful artworks share the stage with coffee and espresso at Lost Dog Coffee. The Old Pharmacy Café & Soda Fountain is recommended for lunch and light supper. Besides coffee and candles, the German Street Coffee & Candlery offers oil lamps, glassware and garden accents. Extra-Special
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic
Park. With 74 lift locks and designation as a national historic park, the C&O Canal stretches 185 miles from the heights of Cumberland, Md., to Rock Creek in Georgetown. The towpath along the Maryland side is immensely popular with joggers, walkers and bicyclists because it's so level, and nowhere more so than in the Sharpsburg-Harpers Ferry area, where it incorporates six miles of the Appalachian Trail. Here a stone and dirt path follows the Potomac beneath a canopy of trees. Particularly interesting is the 3.5-mile stretch south of Shepherdstown to Antietam Creek, where you'll see the Antietam Viaduct, Lock No. 38 and the sites of two bloody Civil War battles along Antietam Creek. Park rangers lead periodic tours to various locks, aqueducts and even caves. Information is available at park headquarters in the impressive Ferry Hill Place, an 1813 plantation manor above the Potomac off Route 34 in Sharpsburg, Md., almost opposite the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown. (301) 739-4200. www.nps.gov/choh. Visitor center
open daily, 8 to 4:30. Material excerpted from Inn Spots & Special Places / Mid-Atlantic, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2003. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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