Posted in West Virginia
July 31, 2020
Stroll Through Massive Ruins At The Head Of A Neon Green Canal On This Easy But Astonishing West Virginia Trail
West Virginia is famous for her coal mining history and her Civil War history…but do you know about her paper-making history? That’s right, in the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, a pulp mill cranked out thousands of tons of wood pulp a day, all of which got turned into paper. And you can still visit what remains of the mill along a short, easy trail near Harpers Ferry.
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The ruin is what's left of a pulp mill that operated along the Shenandoah River one hundred years ago. The Pulp Factory was a 10-turbine mill that, at its height, could produce 15 tons of wood pulp (to be made into paper) daily!

And these towering structures are just a portion of the original mill complex, which was destroyed by a devastating flood in 1936.

...there's water in the mill pond, and it's bright, neon green!


And don't forget to watch for wildlife: turtles can frequently be spotted in the water or along the bank, as can frogs and toads.

To map out how to get to the pulp mill ruins along the old Shenandoah Canal, visit the location on Google Maps here. There are many other interesting historic sites in the Harpers Ferry area that you’ll want to make time to see while you’re in the area, and you can learn more about some of those with the help of this article.
Address: Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, USA