Harpers Ferry, W. Va. panoramic photograph

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Harpers Ferry sits at the meeting point of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, and a panoramic view of the town shows how tightly its streets, rail lines and river crossings were packed into that narrow gorge. Photographers of the late nineteenth century often made wide views like this to capture a whole town at once, and the panorama format suits a place boxed in by steep hillsides. The town's importance came from its federal armory and its rail and canal connections, and it changed hands several times during the Civil War. Look closely at the rooflines and the bridge approaches to see how the town fit itself into the rock.

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