The Lower Town Historic District sits on the point of land where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers converge. It was here that George Washington convinced the Federal Government to build an Armory & Arsenal, and it was here that John Brown led his ill-fated raid of October 16, 17, and 18, 1859. Several park exhibits and museums occupy restored 19th century buildings in the Lower Town today.

Maryland Heights towers 1,448 feet above the rivers and provides the area's most strenuous and rewarding hike. In addition to furnishing breathtaking views of Harpers Ferry and the Potomac River, the mountain hides the ruins of many Civil War fortifications. Infantry trenches, artillery redoubts, ammunition pits, and military camps once extended across the heights.

Virginius Island, which lies along the banks of the Shenandoah River, was a bustling 19th-century water-powered industrial community. Here mills and factories operated until the devastation of civil war and record floods in 1870 and 1889 reduced the island to ruins.