After a battle with the canal, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad arrives in Harpers Ferry.
The Winchester and Potomac Railroad linked with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Harpers Ferry. Trains regularly ran to Baltimore and back to Harpers Ferry.
A bridge across the Potomac was opened in Harpers Ferry, which rendered the Ferry obsolete. Although constructed in 1836, the bridge was not covered until 1847.
Arms were delivered to citizens of Harpers Ferry from the Federal armory at the direction of the Governor of Virginia, with instructions to help quell a riot moving down the line of the canal from Morgan County. It appears that Irish laborers were calmed before reaching Harpers Ferry.
The completion of a number of large infrastructure projects in the area caused a large number of area laborers to suddenly find themselves in the job market with little to no work opportunities. With less competition for laborers, on-going area infrastructure projects significantly reduced wages, in some cases lowering wages by over 50%. This left many area workers in a down-trodden condition.
Workmen employed at the Harpers Ferry Armory strike for higher wages. Armorers also petition the government to re-establish civil superintendence, calling the current military superintendence "revolting to freemen".
Complete armory renovations were drawn in 1844. These renovations plans included the addition of seven workshops, the installation of 121 new machines, and a canal enlargement.
John Brown and 22 men attack the Federal Arsenal at Harpers Ferry to seize both ammunition and arms from the facility. He planned to arm slaves in the region in order to start a large scale southern slave revolt. Receiving little resistance from an unsuspecting Harpers Ferry, he quickly gained control of the armory, arsenal, and engine house, and taking several hostages consisting of prominent citizens and slaves. Brown sent men into the surrounding areas to arm the slaves, believing that the slaves would support his cause and come to his aid -- soon, Brown was surrounded by Marines under the command of Robert E. Lee and J. E. B. Stuart. The soliders stormed the engine house where Brown and his men were taking refuge, killing eight of Brown's men and two of his sons.
A part of the old armory's facilities in Harpers Ferry were transformed into Storer College, a institution for the education of African Americans.
Late on this Friday evening and early into Saturday, Harpers Ferry was hit with a terrible flood, claiming the loss of many homes, businesses, bridges, and 43 lives. Because the flood water rose so quickly, many residents of Virginius Island became trapped.
A report that the railroad would soon be run from the Old Furnace up the river to the old Adams stone quarry, thence to the Virginia Ore Bank, and probably on to Shepherdstown, is current, and much discussed among the people in the Eastern half of Jefferson County.
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