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between 1806 and 1807, which separates it from the town of
Harpers Ferry. The canal was constructed to enable boats to bypass rapids on the river, and also channel water to drive machinery. In the nineteenth century Virginius Island contained Harpers Ferry's industry (aside from the Arsenal) and
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Industry only partially recovered after the war. Manufacturers and potential manufacturers faced competition from new steam-powered industry, which could be built in locations without water power. The biggest enterprise during this period was a pulp mill. In 1936 the worst recorded flood swept
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Under the auspices of the
National Park Service, the industrial and sociological history of Virginius Island have been studied in depth. Research has revealed the islanders' inadequate nutrition, high alcohol consumption, intestinal parasites. The materials for a study of the evolution of
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through the
Harpers Ferry area, and the remaining islanders fled, never to return. No structures on Virginius Island remained standing. Today, the ruins of its mills, foundries, factories, warehouses, and homes can be seen on walking tours. Some has been stabilized and signed by the
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Virginius Island was a thriving industrial town in the first half of the nineteenth century. The
Shenandoah was a great source of power by which to operate machinery. There was good access to markets via the
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230:. Flooding in 1996 caused the island to be closed to visitors until 2003. It has been said that now what one sees are not ruins but half-completed buildings, strong enough to resist further flooding.
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185:. For different periods, there were a cotton mill, a flour mill (the longest lived), a sawmill, an iron foundry, a tannery, a rifle factory, a machine shop, a
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Virginius Island
Waterpowered Mill Complex, North bank of Shenandoah River 0.5 mile from confluence with Potomac River, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV
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supplying barrels to the flour mill, and a carriage shop. At its peak in 1850, upwards of 180 residents lived in some twenty houses.
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201:(1861–1865) The rifle factory was destroyed, as were some of the mills. The destruction of the
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They Worked
Regular: Craft, Labor, and Family in the Industrial Community of Virginius Island
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The Making of
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park: A Devil, Two Rivers, and a Dream
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Shenandoah Pulp Mill, Shenandoah Street, Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, WV
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Waterpower on
Virginius Island ca. 1824–1936. Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
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Midnight rising : John Brown and the raid that sparked the Civil War
181:, joining Harpers Ferry with Baltimore, and soon Washington as well, via
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538:", 12 photos, 10 measured drawings, 1 photo caption page
545:", 13 photos, 8 measured drawings, 1 photo caption page
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305:"A Nineteenth-Century Mill Village: Virginius Island, 1800-60"
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526:. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Archived from
32:. Note the train and roofless building near the center.
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Tourist attractions in
Jefferson County, West Virginia
586:
Historic
American Engineering Record in West Virginia
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454:Virginius Island: Water Powered Industrial Village
494:A History of the Island of Virginius 1751 to 1870
476:Social and Economic History of Virginius Island
197:Virginius Island suffered greatly during the
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576:Landforms of Jefferson County, West Virginia
424:Shackel, Paul A.; Palus, Matthew M. (2006).
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367:Moyer, Teresa S.; Shackel, Paul A. (2008).
269:"Virginius Island and Hall's Island Trail"
234:water-powered machinery are in the ruins.
217:Inside the ruins of the cotton/flour mill.
209:Virginius Island's decline and destruction
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333:"The toll from the raid on Harpers Ferry"
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123:of some 12 acres (4.9 ha), on the
491:Snell, Charles W. (December 4, 1958).
473:Sarles Jr., Frank B. (June 20, 1969).
228:Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
154:Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
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462:Historic American Engineering Record
391:Historic American Engineering Record
28:Virginius Island in 1864, seen from
152:. Virginius Island is part of the
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279:from the original on July 5, 2021
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523:Virginius Island Map & Guide
249:List of islands of West Virginia
135:. The island was created by the
506:Harpers Ferry National Monument
403:from the original on 2021-07-05
171:Winchester and Potomac Railroad
591:Manufacturing in West Virginia
571:River islands of West Virginia
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434:University of Tennessee Press
581:Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
502:Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
183:its new Potomac River Bridge
107:Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
555:Shenandoah Pulp Mill (HAER)
451:Bergstresser, Jack (1987).
179:Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
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520:Gilbert, David T. (2005).
169:, and even more after the
160:A thriving industrial town
144:working-class housing: a
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83:39.3214898°N 77.7391595°W
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486:, Dept. of the Interior.
119:is a formerly inhabited
244:John H. Hall (gunsmith)
193:Impact of the Civil War
88:39.3214898; -77.7391595
541:HAER No. WV-83, "
534:HAER No. WV-59, "
303:Johnson, Mary (1995).
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484:National Park Service
466:National Park Service
310:West Virginia History
273:National Park Service
224:National Park Service
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139:, constructed by the
557:at Wikimedia Commons
482:. Washington, D.C.:
430:Knoxville, Tennessee
203:Harpers Ferry Armory
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460:. HAER No. WV-35.
341:Henry Holt and Co.
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553:Media related to
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281:. Retrieved
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62:Coordinates
565:Categories
407:2021-07-05
255:References
150:row houses
74:77°44′21″W
71:39°19′17″N
500:. HF-29.
199:Civil War
187:cooperage
42:Geography
401:archived
331:(2011).
283:June 15,
277:Archived
275:. 2019.
238:See also
47:Location
317:: 1–27.
167:Potomac
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121:island
498:(PDF)
480:(PDF)
458:(PDF)
438:ISBN
345:ISBN
285:2021
148:and
175:CSX
127:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
