Cultural Landscape Report: Virginius Island

Joseph, Maureen; Wheelock, Perry; Warshaw, Deborah; Kriemelmeyer, Andrew

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park preserves historic resources and commemorates the historic events that occurred at and around Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The park consists of portions of the Lower Town, the former Storer College campus, landscapes associated with the national historical park’s Civil War significance, and lands preserving the historic viewshed down the Potomac River. The National Park Service has undertaken historical studies and conducted archeological investigations on Virginius Island to understand the industrial and residential history of the island. In recent years, the development of a program for improving interpretation and for stabilization of extant cultural resources has been a primary concern. In 1992, an interdisciplinary team of landscape architects, archeologists, historians, and architects initiated such a program. Their efforts to compile a more complete history of the island, ranging from the social and industrial to the physical history, are intended to improve the park visitor's experience. To accomplish this goal, an understanding of the physical and functional changes that have occurred is needed. The landscape that is presently shown to the visitor does not communicate the industrial past but rather a wild, natural island with meandering trails. To reveal the "Secrets of Virginius Island," the structural ruins and landscape features of the past need to be related to historic landscape patterns. This will ultimately enrich the interpretive environment on Virginius Island. The purpose of this report is to document and compile significant cultural landscape characteristics on Virginius Island and prepare a site plan based on an evaluation of significant cultural landscape features and patterns.

Cultural Landscape Report: Virginius Island

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