The business enterprises and commercial development of Harpers Ferry's lower town area, 1803 to 1861

Snell, Charles

This report is a complete study of the businesses that existed in the lower part of the town of Harpers Ferry (exclusive of the Island of Virginius) during the period 1803 to 1861. In Part I the special factors, e.g., the Wager family monopoly of all private lands and U.S. Government ownership of the remainder, that had powerful effects on the commercial development of Harpers Ferry and created what was probably a unique situation in the United States, are discussed. These pages open a whole new chapter in the history of the town and also a new story for interpretative purposes that have not yet been touched in exhibits or literature. Also discussed are the effects of the coming of the stagecoach, canal, and railroad on the location of Harpers Ferry hotels. In Part II the total number and variety of stores and commercial structures standing in the lower town at various dates are established. These figures suggest that Harpers Ferry reached its commercial zenith about 1850, when there were some 49 active enterprises; they also indicate that there were 29 different types of commercial stores, shops, or enterprises to be found in Harpers Ferry’s lower town in the 1840-60 period, exclusive of offices used by dentists, lawyers, and physicians. The detailed inventory presented in Part III enumerates 52 different types of occupants, exclusive of Armory work, that were active at Harpers Ferry in the 1850-1860 period. No information was found in the surviving sources, mainly newspapers, on the existence or operations of homecrafts. Part IV contains the summary data for the four business districts that were located in the lower town. These figures illustrate the chronological development of each district and also indicate their relative importance. Part V has a summary analysis of every lot, street by street, showing the commercial development and use of the land in the lower town during the period 1803 to 1860. Finally, Part VI provides an architectural description of 60 extant and non-extant structures in the lower town as they appeared in 1859; the historical use is also traced from the construction of each building to the beginning of the Civil War.

The business enterprises and commercial development of Harpers Ferry's lower town area, 1803 to 1861

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