In 1751, Robert Harper was given a patent on 125 acres at the present location of the town. In 1761, Harper established a ferry across the Potomac making the town a starting point for settlers moving into the Shenandoah Valley and further west.
In 1763, the Virginia General Assembly established the town of "Shenandoah Falls at Mr. Harper's Ferry."
The Appalachian Trial and C & O Canal, as well as the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, all converge on this point where Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia meet.