The River Kept Destroying This Town. They Kept Rebuilding.

Virginius Island was built because of the river. Factories harnessed the power of the Shenandoah. Workers followed the factories. Homes, roads, gardens and a school followed the workers. Before long, a tiny island beside Harpers Ferry, West Virginia had become a thriving industrial community. Then, on September 30, 1870, the river rose. Fast. Reports preserved by the National Park Service describe water rising six feet in just four minutes. Bridges connecting Virginius Island to higher ground were destroyed. Around 70 houses were swept away, industries were devastated, and 42 people died around Harpers Ferry. Jonathan and Emily Child survived with their family while trapped inside their home as the flood raged around them. And somehow, people came back. They rebuilt their homes. Industry returned. Life continued. Then came another flood. And another. And another. In this episode of Yore Town, Matt and Megh follow Virginius Island from its rise as a water-powered industrial village through the Civil War, the catastrophic flood of 1870 and decades of repeated destruction that eventually forced people to abandon the island altogether. Today, Virginius Island is part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Visitors can walk through the woods and discover stone foundations, old waterways and industrial ruins left behind by the community that once lived there. The Shenandoah River gave Virginius Island everything. Eventually, it took it back. Yore Town tells the strange, dark, and unbelievable true stories of real places. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.