Information Panel: I am Tired of War

"Home Becomes a Battlefield"

NPS / Claire Hassler

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

When the Chambers family lived on this farm they called it Buena Vista. They prospered here. The patriarch of the family, Edmund, also worked at the U.S. Armory and became a leader in the community. The stable existence of Edmund, his wife, Mary, and their children was shattered when John Brown and his small army of abolitionists seized the town in 1859. Fifteen year old Jennie Chambers remembered the women and children waiting in fear for their lives and for news of their loved ones who had gone off "to bring on the battle." The Chambers survived the Brown raid only to be consumed by the Civil War 18 months later. Once again, the family was in harm's way. As slave holding Virginia Unionists the Chambers were in a precarious position. The aid they offered the Union Army brought violent retribution from Confederates. Somehow the Chambers escaped death threats and artillery bombardments. However, military occupation by Union troops devastated the farm and the family was forced to move away. They returned after the war, sold their beloved farm and lived in Harpers Ferry as political and artistic leaders in the community.