Visit Washington, DC!

Hotel and travel tips for visiting Washington, DC

  • Home
  • Visitor Information
    • Traveling to Washington DC
    • Getting Around Washington DC
    • Parking in Washington DC
    • Guided Tours of Washington DC
    • Washington DC News, Media, and Weather
    • Shopping in Washington DC
    • Restaurants in Washington DC
  • Sightseeing
    • Monuments & Memorials
    • Museums and Galleries
    • Other Washington DC Attractions
    • Parks
    • Day Trips
    • Take the Kids
    • Annual Events
  • Hotels
    • Featured Hotels
    • Hotels Near the Mall
    • Hotel Package Deals
    • Group Accommodations
    • Washington DC Hotels
    • Virginia Hotels
    • Maryland Hotels
  • Tour Books
  • Event Tickets
    • Kennedy Center Tickets
    • Capital One Arena Tickets
    • Warner Theatre Tickets
    • Eagle Bank Arena Tickets
    • Wolf Trap Tickets
    • Royal Farms Arena Tickets
    • The Theater at MGM National Harbor
    • FedEx Field Tickets
    • Washington Capitals Tickets
    • Washington Nationals Tickets
    • Washington Redskins Tickets
    • Washington Wizards Tickets
    • DC United Tickets
    • All Washington, DC Events
  • Tour Deals
  • Top 10
You are here: Home / Washington DC Sightseeing / Washington DC Day Trips / Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

An hour and a half from Washington, D.C. you’ll find Harpers Ferry, site of one of the most famous and consequential acts of political terrorism in American history. On the night of October 16, 1859, abolitionist John Brown and 21 other men attacked and captured the U.S. Armory there. Their goal was to use the armory’s 100,000 rifles and muskets to arm the slaves of Virginia and launch a guerilla war against slaveholders, one Brown hoped would spread across the South. The plan went awry when, on October 18, a party of Marines under the command of then-Colonel Robert E. Lee stormed in, killed half the men, and captured half of the rest. Just five escaped. Brown was hanged barely two weeks later.

The event terrified supporters of slavery. Many were convinced that Brown represented the true face of abolitionism and that Republicans like Abraham Lincoln were lying when they said they only wanted to halt the spread of slavery to new states. When Lincoln was elected, they were sure they had no choice but to secede.

Today, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park comprises nearly 4,000 acres in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. It surrounds the small town of Harpers Ferry, home to some 300 residents and full of shops. You can tour John Brown’s Fort (the armory building where he and his men made their last stand) and learn a lot about life in the 19th century by visting  a preserved boarding house, a Provost Marshal’s office, a blacksmith shop, clothing and weapons factories, and much more.

You can also visit the field of the Battle of Harpers Ferry, a precursor to the Battle of Antietam and the occasion of the largest single surrender of Union troops during the Civil War, with nearly 12,500 men captured.

Travel Tips

2009 marked the 150th anniversary of John Brown’s raid. The four states and four counties surrounding Harpers Ferry joined together to put on a yearlong slate of special historical programs. For more information, visit www.johnbrownsraid.org, or visit the National Park web site at www.nps.gov/hafe.

Travel Information

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Harpers Ferry, WV
304.535.6029

Hours: The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.

Admission: $10 per car, or $5 per person arriving on foot or bicycle.

Parking: On site.

Metrorail: Not accessible by Metro. MARC commuter trains run to and from Harpers Ferry, but they run in the wrong direction for most day-trippers (two from Harpers Ferry to Washington, D.C. in the morning, and three from Washington, D.C. to Harpers Ferry in the evening). Amtrak runs one train a day in each direction, with the same proviso. Your best bet is to drive. Coming from Washington, D.C. itself, take the Beltway to I-270 North in Maryland, then get on I-70 West at Frederick. Take Exit 52 onto U.S. Route 340 and drive 22 miles to Harpers Ferry.

Nearby Attractions
Antietam National Battlefield

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Best Rate Guarantee

Book a Hotel

Advertisement

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Promote Your Event

Know of an event that would interest tourists in D.C.? We want to hear about it. Drop us a note and we'll help you get the word out.

Goldstar Deals

Find fun things to do in Washington, DC and save. Check out the current deals at Goldstar!

Book a Hotel

AD

Copyright 2024 Big Fish Design. All Rights Reserved. The District | Advertising Rates | Privacy Policy | Contact Us