Lower Town: Cultural Landscape Report, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, National Park Service
Gilbert C, Joseph MD, Wheelock PC. 1993. Lower Town: Cultural Landscape Report, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, National Park Service. Cultural Landscape Report. National Park Service. National Capital Region
The Lower Town landscape has a rich and varied history defined by five primary periods of growth and development. These include a period of early settlement between 1750 and 1815; a period of community development and industrialization leading to the John Brown raid on the U.S. arsenal, from 1815 to 1865; a period of reconstruction, commerce, and expansion of transportation networks between 1865 and 1900; an era of community stabilization and tourism between 1900 and 1944; and the current period, reflecting NPS administration of the site. The primary themes that contribute to the landscape's historic context are: (1) disparity in use and development of lands under private and public ownership; (2) contrast in landscape character between industrial and commercial development in and around the town; and, (3) the coexistence of picturesque landscapes with the industrial landscape of progress, engineering, and technology. The NPS has undertaken a number of historical studies, archeological investigations, and building rehabilitation projects at Lower Town aimed at the long-term preservation of its cultural resources. This Cultural Landscape Report is the first study to address the potential historic value of the landscape as it contributes to the historic setting and cultural context of Lower Town. Through addressing the town as a complex of interrelated sites, structures, and historic patterns, this report identifies and evaluates features of the historic landscape and offers a site design for its effective preservation.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Gilbert, Cathy; Joseph, Maureen; Wheelock, Perry
- Date of Issue
- 1993
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- HAFE , NCR
- Keywords
- Appalachian Trail, Circulation, Civil War, Commercial, Cultural Landscape, Floods, Historic Vegetation, History, Industry, Jefferson Rock, John Brown, Land Use, Lower Town, Musket Factory, Potomac River, Railroad, Shenandoah River, streetscape, Tourism, U.S. Armory
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Human Use | Cultural Landscapes | Cultural Landscapes , CRIS-CL: 600063: Harpers Ferry - Lower Town