Harpers Ferry Main • Tour the Battlefield > Lower Town
The monument to Heyward Shepherd is in the Lower Town in Harpers Ferry. An innocent bystander, he was the first man killed in John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. The monument is next to the Harpers Ferry History marker, which provides more background and perspective to the monument.
From the monument
Oh the night of October 16, 1859,
Heyward Shepherd, an industrious
and respected colored freeman,
was mortally wounded by John
Brown’s raiders, in pursuance
of his duties as an employee of
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company, he became the first
victim of this attempted
insurrection.
This boulder is erected by
the United Daughters of the
Confederacy and the Sons of
Confederate Veterans as a
memorial to Heyward Shepherd,
exemplifying the character and
faithfulness of thousands of
Negros who under many
temptations throughout
subsequent years of war. So
conducted themselves that
no stain was left upon a record
which is the peculiar heritage
of the American people, and an
everlasting tribute to the best
in both races.
Location of the marker
The Heyward Shepherd monument and the nearby marker are in the Lower Town of Harpers Ferry on the southwest side of Potomac Street about 20 yards northwest of the corner of Shenandoah Street. (39°19’23.9″N 77°43’48.2″W)