{"id":4521,"date":"2019-02-02T22:59:49","date_gmt":"2019-02-02T14:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/?p=4521"},"modified":"2022-04-23T06:54:36","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T22:54:36","slug":"20190202loudoun-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/02\/20190202loudoun-heights\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiking Loudoun Heights Trail from Harpers Ferry"},"content":{"rendered":"

A nice winter day when a thin sheet of snow blanketed the earth. I headed off to the historic town of Harpers Ferry for some hiking and exploration.
\n

\"Split<\/a>

<\/br>Split Rock Overlooking Harpers Ferry<\/p><\/div>
\n
\nUsually, I consider hiking in winter, among lifeless tree branches, dull. In comparison, summer leaves were a much better sight to behold. Snow was the only thing that could rival all signs of summer lives, aesthetically.
\nSo after some snow fell over the mid-Atlantic region, I decided to head outside and explore nature. Harpers Ferry wasn\u2019t too far from Washington DC that I lived, it\u2019s a small town rich in history and natural scenery, and I made it my destination today.<\/p>\n

Harpers Ferry<\/span><\/h3>\n

I parked my car at Harpers Ferry Train Station, where one of the few parking lots in town was located. It seemed to me that one technically needs to pay NPS (or have a pass) to park at the train station.<\/p>\n

Situated in a gap of the Blue Ridge Mountain and at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, Harpers Ferry was a town of important geological location.
\nA primitive ferry was established in 1733 by peter Stephens, who later sold the business to Robert Harper in 1747, and thus the town got its name.<\/p>\n

Train Station<\/span><\/h4>\n

The town witnessed the great transportation race connecting Ohio valley to the East coast, between Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad and Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal in particular. Coincidentally, construction of both the railroad and the canal started on the same day of July 4, 1828. The canal ran parallel to Potomac River in its entirety from Washington DC to Cumberland, and its construction managed to reach Harpers Ferry first, and thus somehow secured the right of way along the river farther West. The railroad failed in the race to reach Harpers Ferry, and to avoid mountainous terrain in Western Maryland, crossed Potomac River into (West) Virginia. Ultimately, technology prevailed and the railroad reached Cumberland 8 years before the canal. The railroad also brought prosperity to Harpers Ferry as a gateway to Ohio Valley.<\/p>\n

\"Antique<\/a>

<\/br>Antique Ticket Office Window<\/br>Attesting the railroad\u2019s rich history as the nation\u2019s first railroad carrier open for public service.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Railway<\/a>

<\/br>\"Railway<\/a> \"Railway\"<\/a><\/br>Railway<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Freight<\/a>

<\/br>\"Freight<\/a> \"Freight<\/a><\/br>Freight Train Passing By<\/br>After many merges, B&O Railroad was part of CSX today. In addition, Harpers Ferry Station was also served by Maryland\u2019s commuter train, MARC, to Washington DC on weekdays.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Train<\/a>

<\/br>Train Station Building<\/p><\/div>\n

Right next to the train station, Federal Armory buildings used to line the banks of Potomac River. The site of the Armory was chosen by George Washington in 1794 to produce military arms. <\/p>\n

In October 1859, abolitionist John Brown, in an unsuccessful attempt to gather arms for black rebel, raided the Federal Armory. The event has been called the dress rehearsal for the Civil War.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/a>

<\/br>John Brown Monument<\/br>The original location of \u201cJohn Brown Fort\u201d, the Federal Armory\u2019s fire-engine house, where abolitionist John Brown and his raiders were captured by US Marines on October 17, 1859. The Fort was moved in 1891 and original foundation covered by railroad in 1892.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"John<\/a>

 \"John<\/a><\/br>John Brown’s Fort<\/br>Modern reproduction 150 meters south of the original location.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Next to the reconstructed John Brown’s Fort was Arsenal Square. After Virginia seceded from the Union and its militia tried to seize the armory and arsenal, retreating federal forces burned the arsenal to the ground.<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/a>

 \"St.<\/a><\/br>St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Hill<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Harpers<\/a>

 \"Harpers<\/a><\/br>Harpers Ferry<\/br>I guessed the front-row buildings here dated back to the civil war era and beyond.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Street\"<\/a>

 \"Street\"<\/a><\/br>\"Street\"<\/a> \"Street\"<\/a><\/br>Street<\/p><\/div>\n

After that, I took a stroll heading West along Shenandoah River.<\/p>\n

\"Field<\/a>

<\/br>Field Covered in Snow<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite being in a strategic location, the mountains surrounding Harpers Ferry made it a hard to defend, military wise. The town changed hands 14 times during the Civil War, the most notable being the Battle of Harpers Ferry in September 1862. The battle could have a thrilling plot to rival Gettysburg not too far from here. But unfortunately, it\u2019s a battle that the Union lost, and in short to a not-so-glamorous reason because the Union Commander Col. Miles chose to keep most troops near the town, instead of occupying commanding positions on the surrounding heights. As a result, its battlefields received much fewer visitors than the famous Gettysburg, and few would associate Civil War with such a little town.<\/p>\n

\"Foundation<\/a>

<\/br>Foundation of Market House<\/br>Armory workers purchased fresh vegetables, meat and fish every Wednesday and Saturday here at the Market House. Constructed by the government near mid-century, the building that once stood here architecturally resembled the refurbished armory buildings along Potomac River. The Sons of Temperance, a 19 century organization campaigning for the prohibition of liquor, financed construction of the second floor for their meeting hall. The building was badly destroyed after the 1936 flood.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

The destruction of the federal armory and the subsequent Civil War, during which the town changed hands multiple times, had a devastating blow to the town\u2019s economy. A brewery was erected on the shores of Shenandoah River in 1895, in an attempt to revitalize the town, which didn\u2019t fare too well with West Virginia\u2019s prohibition in 1914.
\nInterestingly, the prohibition organization “The Sons of Temperance” had their meeting hall right next to the town’s brewery. I guess the two neighbors weren’t too nice to each other.<\/p>\n

\"Foundation<\/a>

<\/br>Foundation of Paymaster House<\/br>Completed in 1802 as a home for the armory\u2019s senior administrator, this building was probably the best house in town when Meriwether Lewis arrived in 1803. Lewis may have stayed here and certainly accounted for his supplies with Paymaster Samuel Annin.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Shenandoah<\/a>

<\/br>Shenandoah River Bridge Pylons<\/br>A bridge that\u2019s destroyed by floods 1936 and was never rebuilt.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Potomac<\/a>

<\/br>Potomac River<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Distant<\/a>

<\/br>Distant Sandy Hook Bridge<\/br>One of the two major road bridges in the Harpers Ferry area, connecting Maryland to Virginia.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Railroad<\/a>

<\/br>Railroad Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Provost<\/a>

<\/br>Provost Marshal Office<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Building\"<\/a>

<\/br>Building<\/br>The existing one seemed to be an expansion of a previous house. It\u2019s a rather interesting way of preservation.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Shenandoah<\/a>

 \"Shenandoah<\/a><\/br>Shenandoah Canal<\/br>Before C&O Canal, a series of bypasses along Shenandoah and Potomac River already existed. This segment of Shenandoah Canal was one of those.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Remains<\/a>

<\/br>Remains of Shenandoah Pulp Factory<\/br>Constructed by Thomas Savery between 1887 and 1888 on the former site of Shenandoah Canal\u2019s lower locks, grinding woods into pulp for the paper industry. The mill closed in 1935 for unprofitability and was destroyed by flood in 1936. It\u2019s the last remnant of water-powered industry in Harpers Ferry.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Railway\"<\/a>

<\/br>Railway<\/br>Shenandoah Subdivision, which wasn’t as often used as B&O mainline.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

At the western end of Shenandoah Street there was an NPS managed parking lot. Most hikers to Loudoun Heights started from here.<\/p>\n

Loudoun Heights Trail<\/span><\/h3>\n

Here’s GPS tracking for the entire day:
\n