in 1751, robert harper purchased of land at "the hole", a name at the time for the place where the potomac and shenandoah rivers meet. he set up a ferry service for travelers who needed to cross the shenandoah river. in 1763, the virginia general assembly established the town of "shenandoah falls" at "mr. harper's ferry." soon it just became known as harpers ferry. the town grew and became a transportation hub as more new businesses came here.