I'm ashamed to admit that I was today-years-old when I learned that May is Cemetery Appreciation Month. I guess because I appreciate cemeteries year round, it never occurred to me that there could be a month dedicated to doing just that! But with that being said, I want to take a quick moment to remind everyone to appreciate the final resting places of our ancestors and to take the opportunity to share the first experience I had with a cemetery when I knew I was in love.
As a child, I had visited the grave of my grandmother who died when I was five. My dad took me once or twice to see his father's grave. I would drive past cemeteries throughout my life while at home and on vacation, but it wasn't until my first encounter with Harper Cemetery in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia that I was truly impacted by the beauty of a cemetery. My family visited Harper's Ferry every fall. In fact, my favorite place to be in the fall is still Harper's Ferry, even though I'm much further away than when I was growing up.
Photo taken by me (before becoming the Mistress of Cemeteries) in 2011.
Steeped in rich history, Harper's Ferry has been claimed as the site of the catalyst for the Civil War. In 1859, two years before the official start of the Civil War, abolitionist John Brown incited an insurrection of slaves in an attempt to spark a rebellion and form an army of freedmen. Although Brown was tried, convicted, and hanged for his crime of treason, his actions fueled tensions already starting to mount between the North and South. He sparked fear into the South and the suspicion that slave rebellions could overturn their economic way of life. It bolstered the North's beliefs that slavery could once and for all be abolished if more John Browns stood up against the institution.
Aside from being a place of historical significance, Harper's Ferry is also a glorious and stunning sight to behold with the eyes. Nestled into the rocks of the Appalachian Mountains, it sits between the three states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. In fact, there is a place where tourists have their picture taken to show that they stood on "three states at once."
Standing at this point, one is standing in three states at once: Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland.
Thomas Jefferson even commented on the breathtaking beauty of Harper's Ferry when he visited in 1785. He claimed, "the scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic." Where Jefferson stood to make this exclamation is commemorated by Jefferson Rock which overlooks the town. As a child, I remember going up to this rock and having my picture taken in front of it along with all the other tourists (although I never considered myself a tourist). Making the little more than an hour trip from my hometown of Annapolis, Maryland, Harper's Ferry felt like a second home to me.
The view of Harper's Ferry from Jefferson Rock. This is one of my favorite photos I've ever taken. I loved this image so much, at one point I had it made into my customized debit card back in the day!
It wasn't until I was about 11 or 12 when one year I asked my parents if we could follow the trail that went beyond Jefferson Rock. The path leads into the woods and I eventually learned that it is part of the famous Appalachian Trail which extends from Georgia to Maine. My parents didn't want to stray too far as it was getting late, but we discovered a cemetery up the hill. I was in awe. To this day, the Harper Cemetery is one of the prettiest I have ever seen. The mountains make the perfect backdrop, and to be honest, I'm a little jealous of the permanent residents here for their view.
The cemetery was started in 1782, where Robert Harper set aside four acres for a burial ground after founding the town of Harper's Ferry. Harper was the first of two centuries worth of burials, and apparently there are still plots available for anyone interested in the eternal view. Friends of Harper Cemetery is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that was founded in 2016 to help preserve the history and the physical elements of this gorgeous place.
After meeting my husband in 2015, I learned that he had family living in Harper's Ferry. What are the odds? I knew then we were meant to be together! We visited his family and made a trip up to Pennsylvania to see his dad's old homeplace on our second anniversary. Now this town is even more special to me. While I have always been intrigued by cemeteries, I have to admit that it was the Harper Cemetery which first stole my heart.
Photos taken on my last visit in 2019.
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