Wednesday morning we explored Harpers Ferry, site of John Brown's raid on the Federal Armory that was one of the events that pushed the Southern states to secede from the Union. It is a quaint little town set on the banks of the Potomac. We really enjoyed our quick visit. We got to park for free using Baylie's 4th Grade National Parks pass.
Ruins of an old pulp mill - once a thriving industry here.
Harpers Ferry is full of historical buildings, many on the national register.
The B&O Railroad (think Monopoly...) began operating in Harpers Ferry in 1839. The train station was built in 1889 and still maintains a rustic charm.
Jalen says the highlight of his trip so far has been standing that close to a moving train.
More buildings, etc.
Some of the structures are built right into the rock of the mountain. Harpers Ferry is located where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet and has been hit hard by floods that have almost wiped out the town at times.
Cobblestone.
Harpers Ferry was also important to the story of Lewis and Clark.
Instead of walking back to the car we decided to ride the national park shuttle (the whole town is considered a national park). We didn't realize that the shuttle actually would take us much farther from our car so we ended up riding it round trip, past the site of the Battle of Bolivar. It was a pretty walk though.
Our next stop was Gettysburg. What an emotional place! We had no idea what to expect and were a little overwhelmed by it all.
We spent 2 1/2 hours just in the visitor's center, which included a movie and a cyclorama presentation. The presentation was amazing with artwork that looked three dimensional and connected to actual objects so that it was hard to tell where the real objects ended and the painting started.
They even had a display of shackles you could try on. The sight of my kids with those on their wrists was a little too much for me and there was no way I could take a picture of that. So many emotions.
Property of Robert E. Lee.
Stonewall Jackson was carried from the field on this stretcher and the table was taken from the hospital where his arm was amputated.
Picture with Mr. Lincoln. I am actually related to him and my mother is named after his (Nancy Hanks).
We had planned to drive all around the battlefield and my brother had given us their narrative CD, but we realized that would be at least another 2 1/2 hours and we just didn't have time for that. So we listened to the CD as we continued on to our next destination - Harmony, Pennsylvania. Even though we weren't able to drive through the sites we were hearing about, we still learned so much from the CD and we could picture the places in our mind because of the things we had seen in the museum.
Harmony, Pennsylvania is a special spot to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is where Joseph Smith met his wife Emma and where they lived after first being married. More importantly, it is the site where John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and later where Peter, James and John restored the Melchizedek Priesthood to them. It is also where Joseph and Oliver baptized one another.
The original homes no longer stand here, but because of records, they were recreated on the sites where they originally stood.
Emma's childhood home where she and Joseph lived for a short time.
The home Joseph and Emma bought from her father and where much of the Book of Mormon was translated.
Well
In this sugar maple grove, Joseph and Oliver were visited by John the Baptist as well as Peter, James and John. This is a sacred place to members of the LDS church.
Sculptures depicting these moments.
Joseph and Oliver baptized one another in the Susquehanna River somewhere near this spot.
The river was very low while we were there. It is a beautiful and peaceful place.
Our final stop was my parent's apartment where they are serving an LDS mission at the Palmyra temple. We got there at about midnight. We were exhausted but so happy to see them.
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