Harpers Ferry Main • Tour the Battlefield > Lower Town

The monument to Heyward Shepherd is in the Lower Town in Harpers Ferry. An innocent bystander, he was the first man killed in John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. The monument is next to the Harpers Ferry History marker, which provides more background and perspective to the monument.

From the monument

Oh the night of October 16, 1859,

Heyward Shepherd, an industrious

and respected colored freeman,

was mortally wounded by John

Brown’s raiders, in pursuance

of his duties as an employee of

the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

Company, he became the first

victim of this attempted

insurrection.

This boulder is erected by

the United Daughters of the

Confederacy and the Sons of

Confederate Veterans as a

memorial to Heyward Shepherd,

exemplifying the character and

faithfulness of thousands of

Negros who under many

temptations throughout

subsequent years of war. So

conducted themselves that

no stain was left upon a record

which is the peculiar heritage

of the American people, and an

everlasting tribute to the best

in both races.

Location of the marker

The Heyward Shepherd monument and the nearby marker are in the Lower Town of Harpers Ferry on the southwest side of Potomac Street about 20 yards northwest of the corner of Shenandoah Street. (39°19’23.9″N 77°43’48.2″W)