harpers ferry is a historic town in jefferson county, west virginia, united states. in some cases the name harper's ferry has been spelled using an apostrophe. harpers ferry sits at the confluence of the potomac and shenandoah rivers. this is where the u.s. states of maryland, virginia and west virginia meet. it is the easternmost town in west virginia. the original, lower section of the town is located on a low-lying floodplain created by the two rivers. it is surrounded by higher ground on all sides. historically, harpers ferry is best known for john brown's raid on the armory in 1859 and its role in the american civil war. during the war, between 1861 and 1865, the town changed hands between union and confederate forces 14 times. the battle of harpers ferry resulted in the largest surrender by union army soldiers in the civil war.