Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States West Virginia Harpers Ferry John Brown's Fort

John Brown's Fort

The last holdout of a pre-Civil War rebel who took the matter of slavery into his own hands.

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Added By
Sarah Blake
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
John Brown’s Fort as it appears today   Sarah Blake / Atlas Obscura User
Devices used to suss out John Brown at his fort   Sarah Blake / Atlas Obscura User
John Brown in 1859   Library of Congress
Interior of the engine house during John Brown’s raid   Library of Congress
Fortifications at John Brown’s last stand   Sarah Blake / Atlas Obscura User
John Brown’s Fort   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
The Fort   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On the night of October 16th, 1859, the town of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia transformed into a stepping stone of the Civil War due largely to the actions of one man: John Brown.

A rabid abolitionist from Ohio, Brown decided to take the matter of slavery into his own hands when he and 22 men, including five black men and three of Brown's sons, captured hostages, and overran the federal complex at Harpers Ferry, consisting of an arsenal, armory, and engine house. Brown’s plan was simple: he would seige the arsenal and armory and use the weaponry and supplies to arm an abolitionist army and the enslaved people who would lead to an all-out armed revolt.

On October 16th, Brown and his militia succeeded in taking the armory. The next morning they were discovered by the armory workers. Military and townsfolk of Harpers Ferry surrounded Brown, and a company of militia captured the bridge across the Potomac River, cutting off their only escape route. Brown then moved himself and nine hostages into the smaller engine house of the arsenal, which would become known as John Brown’s Fort.

The following day, a company of U.S. Marines led by Colonel Robert E. Lee arrived at the site and would storm the engine house, ending Brown’s raid 36 hours after it had begun, with Brown losing ten of his men, including two of his own sons. Brown was captured, tried, and executed on December 2nd, 1859.

Brown’s last statement declared “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood."

His words turned out to be chillingly prophetic with the Civil War beginning less than two years later on April 12, 1861, and his actions went down in history as having played no small role in sparking the societal revolution.

Update 2016: The engine house has been moved several times since John Brown's raid.  It was displayed at the 1891 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and was moved back to Harpers Ferry several years later.  In Harpers Ferry, it was rebuilt on a local farm, then later moved to the grounds of Storer College, and was finally moved to a site about 50 yards from its original location (where the ruins of the original foundation still stand).  The Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, operated by the National Park Service, today includes all four sites.

Related Tags

Slavery Us Civil War Forts

Know Before You Go

Parking in Harpers Ferry is extremely limited. The National Park Service's visitor center offers considerable parking and a shuttle to the historic "lower town", including the John Brown fort.While there, hike a stretch of the Appalachian Trail. The AT crosses a railroad bridge over the Potomac River from Maryland to Harpers Ferry, and passes right in front of the fort. It runs inside the National Historic Park for almost a mile, along a relatively easy hiking path.

Community Contributors

Added By

Sarah Blake

Edited By

littlebrumble, selizabethgreen, rosspatterson, blimpcaptain...

  • littlebrumble
  • selizabethgreen
  • rosspatterson
  • blimpcaptain
  • jsbarclay
  • Jason Michael Walker

Published

September 28, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-browns-raid-on-harpers-ferry
  • http://www.civilwar.org/150th-anniversary/john-browns-harpers-ferry.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
John Brown's Fort
John Brown's Fort
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, 25425
United States
39.32303, -77.729553
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

True Treats

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

miles away

Ruins of St. John's Episcopal Church

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

miles away

Jefferson Rock

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Harpers Ferry

Harpers Ferry

West Virginia

Places 4
Stories 1

Nearby Places

True Treats

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

miles away

Ruins of St. John's Episcopal Church

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

miles away

Jefferson Rock

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Harpers Ferry

Harpers Ferry

West Virginia

Places 4
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Fernandina Beach, Florida

    Fort Clinch

    Used as a military post in three different engagements, this fort has remained incomplete and unfired upon for nearly 200 years.

  • Reflections on Lake Drummond

    Suffolk, Virginia

    Great Dismal Swamp

    An out-of-the-way wildlife haven with a rich and storied past of harboring thousands of fugitive slaves, or "Maroons" during the mid 1800s.

  • Boston, Massachusetts

    Leonard A. Grimes Residence

    The Boston home of a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

  • Homosassa, Florida

    Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park

    Ruins of an old sugar mill sitting quietly next to a park in rural Florida.

  • Akron, Ohio

    John Brown Monument

    A moving tribute to a leader of the American abolitionist movement.

  • Charleston, South Carolina

    Robert Smalls Memorial

    This small memorial is almost as well concealed as Smalls himself was on the night he sailed to freedom.

  • The African Cemetery at Higgs Beach, Key West.

    Key West, Florida

    African Cemetery at Higgs Beach

    Near the ruins of a Civil War coastal fortress lies the only known African refugee cemetery in the United States.

  • The memorial.

    Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe

    Fort Delgrès Memorial

    A stone circle on the slopes of a Caribbean volcano commemorates the leader of an anti-slavery uprising.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.