Saturday, April 3, 2010

Harpers Ferry

I recently had the opportunity to go to Harpers Ferry.  Harpers Ferry, which is located in West Virginia, is a famous/historical town for several reasons. It's where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers come together; it's a place that was surveyed by George Washington; visited by Thomas Jefferson; one of the few towns that the Appalachian Trail goes directly through; and was where John Brown attempted a raid that ultimately failed, brought about his execution, and was a contributing factor to the Civil War.

I really enjoyed photographing Harpers Ferry.  There was so much to photograph: the rivers, the buildings, the old church, the graveyard, and little shops.  Here is a sampling of my favorites.































3 comments:

Taryn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Taryn said...

Wow, those headstones are really leaning, and you captured it so well. I think that the church shots are captivating.

It sounds like a lot happened historically in Harper's Ferry, but are there really many visitor's centers or museums dedicated to these events, or do you simply explore the town and immerse yourself in the place? I definitely get the feeling from this set of photos that you took in the ambiance of the town rather than restricting yourself to designated tourist sites. I think it is awesome how stark a contrast there is between the diner picture and the rest in this collection...you captured a piece of the soul of the town--historic and current--which makes for a fair photographic record of the place (the town is not strictly a historical site, it is still a functioning little town with real residents who live modern lives.)

Emilee Cluff Photography Portfolio said...

Taryn,
Thank you for your always thoughtful comments. I really appreciate it so much.

Harpers Ferry is kind of an interesting place. There's a visitor's center, but I use the term lightly. Basically, the place is a teeny little town. I think the population is something like 324 people. The part of town known as "lower town" is the historical part. That's where the river is and all the old historical buildings. There's also little museums that line the streets.

The museums are really small and are on different subject matters -- a museum on John Brown, slavery, Civil War, etc. They are so small that most of them are like one or two rooms big. But, they are all located in cute, old buildings which is cool.

The rest of the town has little shops, an old church, an old cemetery, the Appalachian Trail, and the river front.

What I did in terms of planning my visit is that I looked on the internet at what there is to do and decided on the things I really wanted to see. Anywhere I go, I almost always give myself enough time to see everything, but I always make a list of places I want to visit the most. So, I go see the things I'm interested in, but I also let myself wander. The best pictures always come from wandering. :)