Information Panel: A Government Factory Town

At its height, this factory produced over 10,000 weapons a year and employed 400 workers.

NPS / Claire Hassler

Quick Facts

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Harpers Ferry owed its existence principally to the United States armory, which began producing small arms here in 1801. At its height, this factory produced more than 10,000 weapons a year and employed 400 workers.

The armory affected the everyday lives of its workers both inside and outside the workplace, until its destruction in 1861 during the opening days of the Civil War.

To learn about the armory's efforts on behalf of its workforce, walk this short trail along the Shenandoah River and visit the sites of buildings pictured here.