News Release

The Enemy Among Us: Defending Harpers Ferry During the War of 1812

Date: July 28, 2017
Contact: Melinda Day, 304-535-6063

On Saturday and Sunday, August 12th and 13th, at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, experience life as it was in the early nineteenth century as the small settlement of Harpers Ferry and the young nation faced a war with the British to defend their newfound freedom.

Visit an 1812 military recruitment station at the town’s oldest structure, the 1782 tavern built by Robert Harper. During the War of 1812, America found in taverns her heart and ideas that made her grow. In 1814, the tavern owned by Margaret Wager Williamson, heir of town founder Robert Harper, was a springboard for the defense of the nation.

During the British invasion in the War of 1812, this place served as a recruiting station for 60 armory workers and local militia. They prepared to defend hearth and home from a potential loss of a hard-won independence. Discover the reactions of town citizens to the British invasion and the response from the government armory workers.