View photos of movie filming

"Quiet, please. Rolling... Action!" On November 13-18, Harpers Ferry Park and the town of Harpers Ferry hosted filming for the motion picture Gods & Generals. Mulched streets, fake building facades, signs, and set dressing along the streets completed the town's transformation as soldiers in blue and gray recreated the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. The Lower Town Historic District was selected by Director Ron Maxwell because it has been very carefully preserved and restored to represent the period of John Brown's Raid and the Civil War.

Gods and Generals is a $53 million motion picture depicting the Civil War from its outbreak in April 1861 through the period just prior to the Battle of Gettysburg. Ted Turner is funding this movie epic. Gods and Generals is the prequel to the movie Gettysburg, also written and directed by Ron Maxwell.

Among the stars of the movie are Robert Duvall, who plays Robert E. Lee; Stephen Lang, who plays Stonewall Jackson; and Jeff Daniels, who is reprising his Gettysburg role as Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain.

Filming for the movie commenced in August 2001. Prep work for filming in Harpers Ferry began on October 29, and continued until filming began on November 13. Striking of the sets started on November 18 and was completed by Thanksgiving. Gods and Generals will be released to more than 1,100 U.S. theaters on February 21, 2003.

Despite congestion along Shenandoah Street caused by the filming, Harpers Ferry Park remained open each day during this period. Visitors to the park, and those wishing to watch the filming in progress, were greeted and advised by Park Rangers as to the best ways to enjoy their visit.