Camp Hill: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, National Park Service

Anderson, Jane

Camp Hill is located within Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in Harpers Ferry, WV. Nestled between the convergence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, the historic 32-acre landscape sits atop a knoll, overlooking the landscape. Camp Hill has seen several groups of people and events from its military use to the creation of one of the first African American colleges. Camp Hill is one of the highest topographical points in Harpers Ferry, WV. The area bridges the space between Lower Town Harpers Ferry to the east and Bolivar Heights to the west. South of the Camp Hill is a steep cliff that adjoins Shenandoah St. and Rt. 340 before leveling off toward the Shenandoah River. Camp Hill was first established when Armory Superintendent Major John Symington developed a comprehensive plan for the town in the mid-1840s Symington’s plan also relocated the residences of the commanding officer, paymaster, and quartermaster to Camp Hill, away from the unsanitary conditions and periodic flooding of the Lower Town. Later, post-war Harpers Ferry experienced an increase in the free slave population. This influx created social tensions between white and black residents of the community and generated a growing need for services for the increasing African American population. Accordingly, a freedman’s school was opened on Camp Hill by Freewill Baptist missionaries following the Civil War. A few years later, Freewill Baptists acquired several armory buildings on Camp Hill in the 1860s and opened Storer College, one of the first African American colleges at that time. In 1906, the college was the location of an important gathering, the second meeting of the Niagara Movement. This movement was a gathering of Black leaders that advanced the cause of equality. It was the precursor to the NAACP which carried the banner freedom from racial oppression. In 1954, the Supreme Court case Brown v. The Board of Education ruled segregation unconstitutional and ended all federal and state funding for segregated schools. As a result, Storer College on Camp Hill, a premier Black educational institution, closed in 1955. In 1963, Congress authorized the creation of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park; Camp Hill and the former Storer College campus were added to the park during this time. A 1981 National Register nomination of the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park addresses the entire park property of which Camp Hill is a component. The 2001 National Register nomination of Storer College focused on the area of Camp Hill. The Storer College nomination includes a description of the architectural details and evolution of a number of the college buildings for the period of significance of 1847 to 1955. The period of significance for Camp Hill is from the pre-Civil War years of military use to the Storer College closure. This period represents the development of the character-defining features of the landscape to the Storer College period, which is the last period of historically significant change in the landscape. In 1847 the initial military use of the site was the construction of the south wing of Wirth Hall, originally designed by Major John Symington as the armory superintendent’s quarters. The period of significance ends when Storer College closes in 1955. Overall, the integrity rating for the Camp Hill landscape is low to moderate. Integrity levels near Morrell, Jackson, Brackett, and Lockwood Houses to the east are generally higher than in the core campus. Although the landscape retains integrity and care has been taken to restore historic buildings and landscape elements the Camp Hill cultural landscape is currently in fair condition. This is largely due to the condition of its historic buildings, many of which are also in fair condition.

Camp Hill: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, National Park Service

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