Three juniors share how they spent the day at Harpers Ferry National Park on the Dual Enrollment US History Field Trip.

How did it feel to leave school for the day and explore Harpers Ferry?

Sharon Altarace: “I felt excited because Harpers ferry is a really nice place to be, especially when the weather is nice like it was today.”

Claire Whitcomb: “I was honestly super excited because I love field trips in the first place, and there was good people going. I didn’t know much about Harpers Ferry until i got there, but I know a lot of people that went that we’re excited to see Mr. Owens.” 

After the short tour of the town’s history, what was the first thing you and your group chose to do with your time?

Jane McCarty: “We went over the bridge and down to the rocks by the river. We [also]  went hiking around the rocks, and then we ventured off on a little path.” 

Whitcomb: “I went down the bridge and to the rocks. It was beautiful. We ate snacks on the rocks, and just breathed in the fresh air.”

Altarace: “The first thing we did after the tour was go see Mr. Owens. We traveled far and wide to go to a pavilion, and [the group] sat and talked about how school was and other random things.”

What else did you do with your time at Harpers Ferry?

Whitcomb: “We went to the bakery, the gift shops, walked around the town, started to walk to the Jefferson rock but decided there were too many stairs, took cute pictures, and visited the candy store.”

McCarty: “We went into some shops and we got some drinks. We visited a church, and went up some really steep steps to Jefferson rock. Very disappointing view, but it was fun.”

Altarace: “We also decided to walk around and enjoy the nature paths that were on our way to a restaurant we could eat at.”

Did you choose to buy anything from the town to remember the trip by?

Whitcomb: “I bought a sweatshirt. It’s super cute and comfortable, and I thought it would be a great way to remember the awesome time I had on this trip. Also, I don’t know if this counts but I bought a cheeseburger and fries for lunch and they were delicious.”

What was your favorite part of the field trip?

McCarty: “My favorite part was climbing over all of the rocks and venturing around through the town.”

Altarace: “My favorite part of the trip was missing school and seeing Mr. Owens. It was really nice walking around with Mr. Owens because he knew a ton about the history of literally the most random things.”

Whitcomb: “I think my favorite part was the hiking on the rocks to get to the magnificent view. It was a little bit of a trek, but totally worth it. I was definitely surprised about the story of John Brown. I feel like he’s not talked about a lot in history classes when he has such a crazy story.”