Early in the 19th century, the railroad was the only way to travel throughout the United States and where goods were shipped to different destination points. Many times the depots were on the outskirts of town, which became the seedier area known as the tenderloin. Saloons and brothels were close by and the poor often lived in the area since it was the only place they could afford. Such was the story of a poor woman who lived in a shanty in Harper's Ferry in West Virginia. Her name was Jenny. Is there any truth to the story of the unfortunate Jenny?
Harper's Ferry is tucked between rugged mountain ridges where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet. In 1794, President Washington asked Congress to establish a federal armory which consisted of 20 buildings along the south bank of the Potomac.
