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Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
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==Geography== According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|0.61|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|0.53|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.08|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 24, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220065340/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt}}</ref> Some properties are currently threatened by development.<ref>{{cite web|title=Development Threatens Park Experience – Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) |url=http://www.nps.gov/hafe/parkmgmt/development-threatens-park-experience.htm|access-date=September 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104183633/http://www.nps.gov/hafe/parkmgmt/development-threatens-park-experience.htm|archive-date=November 4, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> From most of Harpers Ferry, a fading advertisement for Mennen's Borated Talcum Toilet Powder painted on the cliff face of [[Elk Ridge (Maryland)|Maryland Heights]] decades ago is still visible.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=hubQI-Ojsi0C&pg=PA5 ''Harpers Ferry Vignette''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516034209/https://books.google.com/books?id=hubQI-Ojsi0C&pg=PA5 |date=May 16, 2016}}, John Armstrong, p. 5 of ''The Classic Layout Designs of John Armstrong: A Compilation'', [[Kalmbach Publishing|Kalmbach Publishing Company]], 2001, {{ISBN|0890244170}}</ref> The geographical and physical features of Harpers Ferry were the principal reasons for its settlement and eventual industrial development. It is a natural transportation hub and a major river, the [[Shenandoah River|Shenandoah]], joins the [[Potomac River]] at Harpers Ferry. It guarded the entrance to Virginia's large [[Shenandoah Valley]], and the Potomac provided easy access to Washington. The valleys of the rivers made it possible to build the never-completed [[Chesapeake and Ohio Canal]], then the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]], and shortly after that the [[Winchester and Potomac Railroad]]. The first railroad junction in the United States was at Harpers Ferry,{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} and telegraph lines passed through the town. The armory, and later other industries, were located in Harpers Ferry because of the abundant water power available from the rivers. The ferry ended in 1824, when a [[covered bridge|covered wooden road bridge]] by the name of Wager's Bridge was built. Harpers Ferry was the site of the first and for many years the only railroad bridge across the [[Potomac River]], the [[B & O Railroad Potomac River Crossing|Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's bridge]], built in 1836–37. None of Washington, D.C.'s bridges connecting it with Virginia carried more than horse traffic until after the American Civil War. In 1851, a second bridge was built, across the Shenandoah, one of the earliest Bollman trusses.<ref name="Harwood">{{cite book |last=Harwood | first=Herbert H. Jr. |title=Impossible Challenge II: Baltimore to Washington and Harpers Ferry from 1828 to 1994 |year=1994 |publisher=Barnard, Roberts & Co. |location=Baltimore, MD |isbn=0934118221}}</ref>{{rp|67}} A newer [[Bollman truss]] bridge, which carried both rail and highway traffic, opened in 1870 but was washed away in a flood in 1936. The town's original lower section is on a [[flood plain]] created by the two rivers. It is surrounded by higher ground, and since the 20th century has been part of [[Harpers Ferry National Historical Park]]. Most of the remainder, which includes the more elevated populated area, is included in the separate [[Harpers Ferry Historic District]]. Two other [[National Register of Historic Places]] properties adjoin the town: the [[B & O Railroad Potomac River Crossing]] and [[St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church (Harpers Ferry, West Virginia)|St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church]]. [[File:Winchester and Potomac Railroad Bridge, Harpers Ferry, WV - Appalachian Trail sign.jpg|thumb|Park sign with mileage information for the [[Appalachian Trail]]]] The [[Appalachian Trail Conservancy]] (ATC) headquarters is in Harpers Ferry. The [[Appalachian Trail]] passes directly through town, which some consider the psychological midpoint of the trail<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/hafe/planyourvisit/hikes.htm|title=Hikes – Harpers Ferry National Historical Park |publisher=U.S. National Park Service |access-date=April 28, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004215128/https://www.nps.gov/hafe/planyourvisit/hikes.htm|archive-date=October 4, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2011630949/|title=Headquarters and psychological mid-point of the Appalachian Trail, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia|publisher=Library of Congress|access-date=April 28, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921193012/https://www.loc.gov/item/2011630949/|archive-date=September 21, 2017}}</ref> despite the exact physical midpoint is being farther north in Pennsylvania. Uniquely, the towns of Harpers Ferry and adjoining [[Bolivar, West Virginia|Bolivar]] have partnered with the ATC to be declared a united Appalachian Trail Community.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://appalachiantrail.com/places/harpers-ferry-bolivar-wv-an-appalachian-trail-community/ |title=Harper's Ferry & Bolivar, West Virginia: An Appalachian Trail Community |publisher=Appalachian Trail Conservancy |access-date=May 24, 2018 |archive-date=May 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525063020/https://appalachiantrail.com/places/harpers-ferry-bolivar-wv-an-appalachian-trail-community/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Climate=== The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters, similar to nearby [[Martinsburg,_West_Virginia#Climate|Martinsburg]]. According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Harpers Ferry has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps using the 27 °F/-3 °C isotherm, as its coldest month averages 31 °F/-0.5 °C or, if the 32 °F/0 °C isotherm is used, a [[humid continental climate]], abbreviated "Dfa". {{clear left}}
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