Abstract:
Harpers Ferry, Virginia from its settlement in 1747 to the outbreak of the Civil War had become a prosperous community largely self-sufficient in nearly every way. However, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia after four of war was a shell of its former self requiring the remaining residents to adapt to new realities. As the town increasingly became reconnected with outside sources, the school for freed slaves established on Camp Hill following the war became a focal point for events occurring elsewhere to help transform the town into a town reliant on the tourist industry.