Harper's Ferry

Another famous location in various time periods of history. Firstly, it was a very important American armory along the frontier. Meriwether Lewis stocked his and Clark's expedition westward at Harper's Ferry (this mission, brought to US by Jefferson, btw.) And of course, it led to the infamous raid by abolitionist John Brown and served as a catalyst for the American Civil War. During the war, the town saw many turnovers in Union vs. Rebel possession and never quite recovered its economic status (though today it does pretty well on tourists!)