Flood Protection

Periodic floods continue to impact Virginius Island and its rich resources. A major concern today is how to protect these resources from the floods. Based on a hydrologic study, the most damage was done when there was a limited amount of woody vegetation growing on the island. By retaining a mature canopy of trees and understory vegetation, the scouring effect of the flood waters in theory would be lessened. By following this prescribed treatment, woody vegetation, whenever possible, would be retained to preserve the island's resources.

Vegetation Management

To assist in the stabilization and interpretation of the landscape and built features on Virginius Island, a program for controlling the vegetation growth was necessary, but had to be balanced with the need to lessen the scouring effect of flood waters (see preceding section on Flood Protection). By controlling the vegetation and its deteriorating effects on the cultural resource, overall maintenance on the island may be minimized. Vegetation control will limit the damage caused by trees and woody shrubs growing on foundations, and by the growth of invasive roots from vines and herbaceous vegetation in the crevices of stone and brick walls. By deterring the growth within a structural remnant and creating a vegetative buffer zone around the feature, the feature is also enhanced for interpretation. There are four prescribed levels of vegetation management for Virginius Island: mowing regularly, clearing woody vegetation, selective thinning and leaving vegetation as is.

		(top) Sections showing vegetation buffer approaches for the island. [ download full size Tiff - 1.8mb ]; (bottom) Waysides placed near water intake tunnels, 1994. NPS Photo

Where and how the four levels of vegetation management are implemented is key to interpreting the landscape and structural features. A four-foot mown buffer was recommended around the exterior of all structural remnants. For the interior of the building, the removal of detrimental woody vegetation and regular control of herbaceous plants to aid in their visibility was suggested. For the island's residential community, an additional level of selective thinning of woody vegetation and establishment of a healthy herbaceous plant groundcover needed to be done to define the historic boundaries of the yards. A limited amount of vista clearing would follow to recapture significant views and vistas to the Shenandoah River and specific features such as raceways and water holding basins.

Interpretation

Outside of Lower Town (in lesser visited areas), Harpers Ferry National Historical Park relies heavily on wayside exhibits to convey information to the public. For Virginius Island, fourteen signs or waysides, had already been designed before this work was initiated. Before the waysides were permanently installed the park updated some of the text based on the research conducted by the interdisciplinary team. Within the report, another fourteen waysides were recommended to cover the full breadth of cultural and natural histories for the island and their possible placement there.

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