Cultural Landscape Report for the United States Armory and Potomac Riverfront, Harpers Ferry NHP
Crosbie A and Lee A. 2008. Cultural Landscape Report for the United States Armory and Potomac Riverfront, Harpers Ferry NHP. Cultural Landscape Report. HFR-243. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation. Boston, Massachusetts
The United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, one of two federal armories founded under President George Washington at the end of the eighteenth century, played a key role in American military and industrial history. Beyond crafting and storing weapons, the Armory became one of the first industrial centers in the country. The Musket Factory and Arsenal, specifically, were the sites of John Brown’s ill-fated attempt in 1859 to seize the stored guns to wage a battle for the freedom of enslaved persons. During the Civil War, the Armory was a center of conflict as the town changed hands eight times, resulting in the destruction of most of the Armory buildings. This cultural landscape report (CLR) focuses on the former site of the United States Musket Factory, one of three main complexes comprising the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. References are also made to other United States Armory holdings at Harpers Ferry including the Arsenal Yard, also known as Arsenal Square, and the rifle factory site on Upper and Lower Hall Islands along the Shenandoah River, which are beyond the study area of this report. The report incorporates the Historic Resource Study written in 2006 by Andrew Lee, entitled “The U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry.” Following the general CLR format, the report comprises four major chapters. The first is a narrative of the landscape history focusing on the Musket Factory. Narrative text, historic maps and photographs describe and illustrate the evolution of the Armory from its establishment in the late 1700s, through the site’s establishment as a national park, and the subsequent physical changes to the property up to the present. The second chapter provides an inventory and assessment of existing conditions. A third chapter provides an overview of the property’s significance and presents an analysis of characteristics and features that contribute to the historic character of the site. Finally, a treatment plan, consistent with the aims of park planning goals, is included that will articulate a strategy for the long-term management and treatment of the cultural landscape including strategies for providing site accessibility.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Crosbie, Allison; Lee, Andrew
- Date of Issue
- 2008
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation
- Units
- HAFE , NCR
- Keywords
- abolition, Amusement Park, B&O Railroad, Byrnes Island, C&O Canal, Changing Role of U.S. in the World, CLR, cultural landscape, cultural landscape report, Cultural Resources, ehistory, ferry, Halls Island, HFR 00243, HFR 243, HFR-00243, HFR00423, HFR243, HFR-243, Industry, John Brown, John Brown's Raid, landscape preservation, Military, Musket Factory, OCLP, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Potomac River, Scenic Landscape, Shenandoah River, Social History, The Rise of Sectionalism, Transportation, Vernacular
- Subjects
- CRIS-CL: 600295: United States Armory Grounds and Potomac Riverfront