Whether you arrive by car or train, bike or motorcycle, or even by your own two feet, come to the HI Harpers Ferry hostel for both relaxation and adventure. Perched on a hill above the C&O Canal Rail Trail and Potomac River, HI Harpers Ferry is an ideal place to pitch your tent or just put up your feet. You’ll find travelers from around the world camping out on their way along the Appalachian Trail and Washington, DC urbanites getting away from it all in our Great Room. We’ve got free breakfast and Wi-Fi, but also a grill and fire pit for you to use. Tubing and kayaking are just a short distance away, but if wine tastings and history tours are more your speed, that’s not far either. We’re open to the public from May to October, but the entire hostel can be rented by groups year round. We hope to see you at HI Harpers Ferry soon!
Founded as early as 1732, the inn has seen history. In 1755 it is probable that General Edward Braddock, accompanied by the young Lt. George Washington, marched his army past on the way to his fatal encounter with the French and Indians near Fort Duquesne.
By the late 1700ís pioneers had begun to roll steadily through Turner’s Gap on the National Trail to settle the land to the west. The South Mountain Inn uniquely served as a wagon stand as well as a stagecoach stop for the heavy traffic passing on the National Road after it was surfaced in the 1820ís. In the years that followed, the inn was visited by many Washington leaders, including Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, and several Presidents. For Clay and Webster particularly, it was a favorite resting spot. Clay was often called the father of the National Road; the road itself was sometimes termed the Henry Clay Road.
During the Civil War period, South Mountain Inn was a part of two pivotal events, the John Brown Raid on Harpers Ferry, and the Antietam Campaign. In 1859 the inn was captured and held overnight as an outpost and probable staging point by Brown’s followers. Three years later it was the headquarters of Confederate Gen. D.H. Hill during the Battle of South Mountain, prelim to the Battle of Antietam.
Following the Civil War, the business of the tavern declined, due in large part to the reduced importance of the National Road as the railroads spread across the mountains. The property was sold in 1876 to Madeline Vinton Dahlgren, wealthy widow of Admiral John A. Dahlgren. The South Mountain House became a private residence, improved with attention to the antiquity of the building. Mrs. Dahlgren also built the stone Dahlgren Chapel, which is open to the public on summer weekends.
The house once again became a tavern in 1925 and continued as a local pub until its purchase in 1971 by Charles and Dorothea Reichmuth, who offered visitors a setting of historical authenticity, gracious hospitality, and good eating.
In 1981, Russell and Judy Schwartz purchased the Inn from The Reichmuths and offered American fine dining with an elegant Colonial atmosphere.
Then in 2001, the Inn was purchased by the Executive Chef and his wife, Chad and Lisa Dorsey, who are the present owners of the Inn.
For over 250 years The Old South Mountain Inn has remained a remarkable mainstay in an ever changing world.
