John Brown's Fort - Harpers Ferry National Historical Park - Harpers Ferry, WV
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 39° 19.386 W 077° 43.769
18S E 264710 N 4356185
This structure now known as "John Brown's Fort," originally located where a small obelisk is located now, was moved four times - including a trip to Chicago - to its present location about 150 ft from its original place.
Waymark Code: WMMWBP
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 11/14/2014
Views: 8
In Harper's Ferry, near the point where the Shenandoah River merges with the Potomac, is this brick structure known as "John Brown's Fort," which has moved four times in its existence.
The building is within the old part of Harpers Ferry. You can get there from the village, however, parking is minimal in this area. The preferred place is at the national park's parking lot off U.S. 340, which has a shuttle bus to get you there. The building is by itself, near the downtown visitor center to the park.
The building is certainly not what you would think of as a fort. It is a single story brick building with two large garage doors and an entrance door. There is a wooden cupola on top where the bell would have been. Semi-circular windows are above the doors and along the side. The general dimensions are 35 1/2 ft x 24 ft.
The building was originally the firehouse and guard house for the Harpers Ferry Armory. The short story to the event is that on October 16-18, 1859, John Brown and his band of abolitionists attempted to raid the stores of rifles and ammunition so that he could arm slaves so that they could revolt. The plan failed and Brown and his men retreated into this building and a stalemate developed until U.S. Marines under the command of Col. Robert E. Lee raided the building and arrested the occupants. The NPS has a page that more fully describes this event. This building is now the only armory building to have survived the Civil War.
The building was originally at a place marked by a short obelisk 150 ft to the west. In 1891, the building was sold and taken to Chicago, about 650 miles away to the northwest. There, it was rebuilt near the The World's Columbian Exposition and it was intended to be a paying attraction. After 10 days, however, only 11 people viewed the fort, so it was closed. In 1894, a campaign was started by Washington Journalist Kate Field to return the fort to Harpers Ferry. Alexander Murphy, a farmer in the area, donated five acres for the place, and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad offered to carry it back for free. The building was rebuilt on a bluff about three miles from its original location. In 1909 (the 50th Anniversary of the raid), the building was purchased by Storer College, which was also local to the area. It was moved to the college campus. In 1960, the building was purchased by the National Park Service. The original location had a railroad track running through it, so in 1968, the building was moved to its present location, about 150 ft from the original location.
How much do you want to bet that it is eventually moved that final 150 ft?
Original Location: N 39° 19.404 W 077° 43.788
How it was moved: Disassembled
Type of move: Region to Region
Building Status: Public
Related Website: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
Tell of your visit. Post an original photograph if possible.