Information Panel: Short-lived Sanctuary

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Thousands of enslaved people fled to the Union lines at Harpers Ferry during the Civil War. Some of them found shelter in the "contraband camp" located near here in the shadow of John Brown's Fort. Their freedom and safety were always in jeopardy. Any withdrawal of the Union forces left them vulnerable to slave catchers, notorious for capturing people of color and selling them into slavery. After the Confederate capture of Harpers Ferry in 1862, Union Colonel William Trimble recalled watching "hundreds of men, women, and children, bond and free, driven past; their bowed heads and sad countenances telling the tale of their disappointed hopes."