Next in the Lovettsville Historical Society’s lecture series:
Robert Harper and the Quakers of Hopewell Meeting: An Unlikely Story of the Founding of Harpers Ferry
Presented by David T. Gilbert
Sunday, October 9 at 2:00 p.m.
In-person at St. James United Church of Christ,
10 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville,
and online via Zoom
When Robert Harper, a native of southeastern Pennsylvania, was approached by a group of Quakers to build a gristmill on Opequon Creek in the Shenandoah Valley, little did he know that he would become founder of a thriving settlement at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Through good fortune, he found his way to this place where the two rivers meet in the Spring of 1747, writing: “Great was my astonishment that so few had heard of the place; greater still that such grand scenery with water power unsurpassed should lay there neglected and unknown.”
In the next presentation in the Lovettsville Historical Society’s Lecture Series, you will learn the unlikely story of how Harper made his way to this place, and set about establishing an industrial community where water power thrived for the next 175 years.
David T. Gilbert has written several books on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, over the past 40 years, including A Walker’s Guide to Harpers Ferry; The Burton Drawings at Harpers Ferry—The Emergence of 19th Century Drafting Practice at the U.S. Armories; and Waterpower—Mills, Factories, Machines and Floods at Harpers Ferry, 1762-1991. Before retiring in 2015, David worked as a writer, editor, and graphic designer, including 12 years with the National Park Service (NPS). He is a charter member of the Harpers Ferry Park Association and has served on that organization’s Board as both Secretary and President. He now lives in Winchester, Virginia.
This event will held be in-person at the St. James United Church of Christ in Lovettsville, and will also be streamed online via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent out before the lecture. To request the Zoom link, please RSVP to events@LovettsvilleHistoricalSociety.org