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Trail Information. Explore the ruins of a once thriving 19th century industrial town along the Shenandoah River. Allow about 1 to 2 hours for a complete walking tour of Virginius Island. The trail begins at the end of the Hamilton Street footpath just outside of the Lower Town. Alternate starting points are along Shenanoah Street – at the Randolph Bridge or the Shenandoah Pulp Mill ruins. [View a Map and Guide to the Lower Town].

Many of the ruins on Virginius Island are fragile – please do not walk or climb on them.

1. Cotton Factory. In 1848, a four-story "Brick Factory Building, of the most permanent character," began operation here. The building was fitted with gas lights, heated by steam pipes, and equipped with the latest cotton machinery – 18 carding engines, three drawing frames, 18 spinning frames, and 97 power looms. The owners employed 70 workers in 1850, half of whom were women. During the Civil War, the building served as a Union hospital, and after the war, the building was converted into a flour mill by the firm Child & McCreight, which installed the four Leffel turbines you still see today. By 1870, this mill was producing 80,000 barrels of flour a year. The building was abandoned after the Flood of 1889. [Learn more about Waterpower at Harpers Ferry].
2. Water Tunnels. This elaborate water supply system channeled power to the machinery of the old Cotton Factory.
3. Cotton Mill. In 1849, a second four-story brick cotton mill was built by the owners of the adjacent Cotton Factory. Called "Valley Mills," a contemporary news-paper account reported that "this factory is capable of manufacturing 400 lbs. of Cotton yarn, 100 lbs. of Batting, and 50 lbs. of Candle wick per day." A fire destroyed the building in November 1852.
4. River Wall. Water drawn from the Shenandoah River was stored in this basin or millpond before its distribution to the headraces of the various mills on Virginius Island. A stone wall or dike separated the basin from the river. Silt, deposited by frequent high water, has completely filled the old basin.
5. Shenandoah River. Hard rock ledges of Harpers shale, tilted up on end some 230 million years ago, have created a series of rapids here known as "The Staircase." Over a distance of 1 1/2 miles, the river drops 14 feet, furnishing 19th century millwrights with an ample "head" of water to power their machinery.
6. Intake Arches. These headgates were originally built about 1848. Control gates on the arches could be raised or lowered to regulate the flow of water from the river into the Inner Basin.
7. Railroad. On March 31, 1836, the Winchester & Potomac Railroad opened from Harpers Ferry to Winchester, Va. – a distance of 32 miles. The line served to bolster the economy of Virginius Island, bringing grain and produce from the Shenandoah Valley, and providing a direct link to Baltimore. This railroad still carries freight today – the last living link to the rich history of Virginius.
8. Shenandoah Pulp Mill. This immense structure is a newcomer to the area. Opened in 1888, the mill was outfitted with ten turbines, arranged in pairs, located in five of the mill's six flumes. These wheels powered a large circular saw, two disc barking machines, a splitter, six shaking screens, six wet press machines, and four wood grinders. Employing as many as 51 men, the mill produced about 40 tons of "Spruce Ground Wood Pulp" daily. The mill operated until 1935. [View photos of Virginius Island].
9. Hall's Rifle Works. In 1820, John H. Hall began assembling his patent rifles for the U.S. Government here. The site became known as Hall's Rifle Works, and the island on which it sat – separated from Virginius Island by a narrow channel of the Shenandoah – became known as Lower Hall Island. In 1844, the government began replacing Hall's frame shops with a new brick Rifle Factory that produced standard U.S. Model rifles until the Civil War. In 1861, Confederate troops disassembled the weapons machinery and shipped it south before burning the factory. [Learn more about John H. Hall].
10. Shenandoah Canal. Between 1806-1807, the Patowmack Company excavated a 580-yard canal just above Virginius Island. Lift locks were erected at the lower end of this canal where the pulp mill ruins now stand. By deepening existing river channels above and below these locks -- including the channel in front of you – a waterway over a mile long was created.
11. Armory Quarry. In the early 19th century, the U.S. Government quarried rock from these cliffs for use in the construction of Armory buildings.
12. Iron Foundry. About 1824, a linseed oil mill was erected near this site. The mill was part of a tanning business which consisted of a bark mill, several vats, and a bark house. In 1835, this mill was converted into an iron foundry. Saws, straw cutters, wagon boxes, cast iron railings, and coal stoves were among the many items produced here. In the 1850s, a new foundry was erected next to the Shenandoah Canal.
13. Herr's Mill. In 1840, a stone flour mill measuring 96 feet long by 48 feet wide and 3½ stories tall was built here. The building became known as Herr's Mill following its purchase by local businessman Abraham Herr. In 1861, during the first year of the Civil War, Herr's Union sympathies created trouble for him. After inviting Federal forces to remove grain from his mill, Confederate raiders entered town and burned his establishment. The mill was never rebuilt.
14. Child's House. In July 1867, Herr sold his Virginius Island holdings to the firm Child & McCreight of Springfield, Ohio. The Child family moved into a sturdy stone house that occupied this site. During the Flood of 1870, the Childs were trapped on the second floor. They survived the ordeal, but 42 other local residents perished.
15. Row Houses. In about 1850, a line of 12 row houses extended along Wernwag Street. These dwellings probably housed workers from Herr's Mill and other island establishments.
16. Wernwag's House. A large 3½ story house formerly stood on these foundations. Lewis Wernwag, a local entrepreneur, bridgebuilder, and inventor, lived here for many years.