Harpers Ferry Main •Tour the Battlefield > Lower Town
The ‘For the Deposit of Arms’ wayside marker is in the Lower Town of Harpers Ferry.
From the marker:
For the Deposit of Arms
The small arsenal building that stood here from 1806-1861 was one of two warehouses for the nearby United States Armory. A Harpers Ferry visitor in 1821 described both buildings as “arsenals for the deposit of arms manufactured, consisting of rifle, muskets and some pistols which are handsomely arranged and make a fine show.”
In 1859 abolitionist John Brown attacked Harpers Ferry hoping to inspire a revolt against slavery. Brown wanted the arsenal’s weapons to arm recruits. Brown’s raid came to a bloody end, but his actions helped propel the nation into the Civil War. When fighting broke out in 1861, retreating U.S. troops burned both federal arsenal buildings to keep the weapons from falling into Confederate hands.
From the captions to the inset photos:
The large and small buildings stored thousands of muskets and rifles like those shown below. When the arsenals burned in April 1861 nearly 15,000 arms were destroyed.
Percussion musket (converted from flintlock)
Harpers Ferry Model 1855 Rifle Musket
During the 1859 attack, raiders Jeremiah Anderson and Albert Hazlett captured and held the arsenal while just yards away Brown fought from inside thr Fire Engine House.
Location of the marker
The marker is in the Lower Town of Harpers Ferry about 30 yards southeast of the intersection of High and Shenandoah Streets. (39°19’21.9″N 77°43’47.7″W)