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Meriwether Lewis at Harpers Ferry, Harpers Ferry, WV

Photo: APK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sightseeing

Meriwether Lewis at Harpers Ferry

Web page on how Meriwether Lewis used the Harpers Ferry armory in 1803 to equip his western expedition, including an experimental iron boat frame.

PO Box 65, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 (park mailing address) · Harpers Ferry, WV

About Meriwether Lewis at Harpers Ferry

This National Park Service page covers Meriwether Lewis's time at Harpers Ferry in 1803, when he got weapons, tools, and supplies from the federal armory there for his expedition west. He also had an iron boat frame built to his own design, meant to be covered with hides for use on shallow rivers. Armory workers struggled with the frame, so his stay ran far longer than he had planned. Later, on the expedition, the weapons from Harpers Ferry proved useful, while the collapsible canoe failed in 1805 and was abandoned.

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  • #Meriwether Lewis
  • #Harpers Ferry
  • #armory
  • #expedition history

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