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 Route 27 - "Take Me Home, Country Roads" - Harpers Ferry, WV Posted by:  NorStar
N 39° 19.519 W 077° 45.986
18S E 261532 N 4356528
This location outside Harpers Ferry represents the many country roads in John Denver's song, "Take Me Home, Country Roads."
Waymark Code: WMME1K
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 09/07/2014
Views: 5
Just outside of the village of Harpers Ferry is West Virginia is West Virginia Route 27 (Bakerton Rd), which represents a country road as sung in John Denver's song, "Country Roads."
There are many country roads in West Virginia. So, why here? The location best represents what is described in the first verse:
"Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah river
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
..."
The location, to me, describes the area around Harpers Ferry best. Harpers Ferry is a village at the very tip of West Virginia. It sits on the Blue Ridge Mountain Range, at a gap in this range where the Shenandoah River merges into the Potomac River. Elsewhere, the Blue Ridge Mountains run along the eastern border between West Virginia and Virginia.
The village of Harpers Ferry might be a better location, visually, but the village is crowded and doesn't represent country roads. US 340 nearby may have more commanding views, but it is more of a highway than a country road. There may be 'countrier' country roads, but this seemed to be the best compromise of what the song describes, plus, it's frankly a safe place to pull off. To get a real sense of the windy and undulating roads in this part of the world, continue north under the railroad bridge (be very careful - it is a single lane and there is a blind turn on the other side).
As I read the Wikipedia entry for this song, I see that it could have been from Maryland (the home of one of the writers, Taffy Nirvet) or Massachusetts (where other cowriter, Bill Danoff, was from). The appeal of this song is that though West Virginia is mentioned, it could apply to just about any country road in America and even the world. That is why this song is so well known around the world. On March 2014, the West Virginia legislature made "Take Me Home, Country Roads" the state song.
So, enjoy the drive through beautiful hilly West Virginia on those country roads, perhaps with "John Denver's Greatest Hits" playing along.
Musician: John Denver
Name of Song: Take Me Home, Country Roads
Relevant Verse:
Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah river
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
Location website: [Web Link]
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