Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: The City Dweller’s Introvert Getaway

I’m on a quest to find the best introvert spots, where us easily overstimulated types can get some exercise and recharge with peace and quiet.

Just across the West Virginia border, about an hour and a half from Washington DC, lies Harpers Ferry, a picturesque town that allows visitors to take in the incredible landscape, breathe some fresh air while hiking, and learn about American history.

The town is named after Robert Harper, who recognized its potential for industry given its strategic location (where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet), and the power the two rivers could generate. In the 1750s Harper bought what were essentially the “squatting” rights to the land and maintained a ferry service across the Potomac.

In 1796, the federal government purchased a 125-acre parcel of land from Harper’s heirs, and began construction on the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1799. The armory was one of only two such facilities in the U.S., the other located at Springfield, Massachusetts. These two facilities together produced most of the small arms for the U.S. Army. The town was thus transformed into an industrial center. Between 1801 and 1861, when it was destroyed to prevent capture during the Civil War, the armory produced more than 600,000 muskets, rifles and pistols.

You will get your exercise walking up and down around the town. St. Peter’s Catholic Church was built in the mid-1800s and boasts Gothic revival architecture visible from almost anywhere in the town.

Harper’s Ferry is also well-known for being the location of John Brown’s abolitionist uprising. You can walk past St. Peter’s to old fort ruins.

There are PLENTY of hiking opportunities. I hiked Maryland Heights, complete with stone fort ruins and incredible views of the town and the Potomac River.

When we fist visited in April, there was virtually no one walking through the town. We enjoyed rummaging through the boutique shops (we even found comic books!).

This past weekend, although the town was crowded with sightseers, the rain chased away most of the hikers, so I had the entire hike to myself except for about fifteen other people and three dogs.

Bottom line: if you want to escape the big-city hustle, slow down, and take in some history along with some exercise, then Harpers Ferry is the place for you.