Harper | |
|---|---|
 Harper in 2004 | |
  Harper Location in Liberia | |
| Coordinates:4°22′N7°43′W / 4.367°N 7.717°W /4.367; -7.717 | |
| Country |  Liberia |
| County | Maryland County |
| Population (2008) | |
• Total | 17,837 |
| Climate | Af |
Harper, situated onCape Palmas, is the capital ofMaryland County inLiberia. It is a coastal town situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Hoffman River. Harper is Liberia's 11th largest town, with a population of 17,837.[1]
The town is named afterRobert Goodloe Harper, a prominent U.S. politician and member of theAmerican Colonization Society. It was he who proposed the name Liberia for the American Colonization Society's settlement in Africa, and the town of Harper was named in honor of him.[2] Harper was the capital of the short-livedRepublic of Maryland (1834–1857).
A warm ocean temperature is present year round.Fish are found in abundance, as well aswhales,dolphins, and largeoysters. Fanti canoes sail from Harper toMonrovia viaGreenville. This trip can take from 3 to 6 days depending on the wind and weather. AUNMIL ship, the MVCatarina, sails fortnightly between Harper and Monrovia. From theIvory Coast, Harper is accessible fromTabou.
Local landmarks are the old, ruined mansion ofWilliam Tubman, President of Liberia, and the shell of the Morning StarMasonic Lodge, also built by Tubman.[3]
Harper was the capital of theRepublic of Maryland, an independent country (1834–1857), the last component of modern Liberia.
Cape Palmas, the region of which Harper is the center, is one of the traditional hometowns of theAmerico-Liberians, descendants offree people of color and freedslaves from theUnited States who settled in Liberia and declared it an independent country in 1847.John Brown Russwurm, an African-Americanabolitionist and governor of Monrovia, was buried in Harper after his death. There is a statue to commemorate his gravesite.
Harper as it existed prior to the Civil Wars was based on theplantation architecture of thesouthern United States, where many of the Americo-Liberians came from.[4] "Today [2016], no place captures the ambiguous world of the Americo-Liberians better than Harper, whose oldest neighborhoods are reminiscent of New Orleans. Once occupied by the ruling elite, houses in the style of plantation mansions now stand silent and ghostly."[4]
One of the town's most famous citizens is PresidentWilliam Tubman (1895-1971), who was born in Harper. In 2021, his mansion lies in ruins and is occupied by squatters.[4]
Before theFirst Liberian Civil War, Harper was an importantadministrative centre.
During the 1970s, Harper was terrorized byMaryland ritual killings. The crimes have been regarded as "Liberia's most notorious ritual killing case" due to the number of murders, the involvement of high ranking government officials, and their subsequent public executions.[5]
Tubman University, one of only two public universities in Liberia, is located in Harper.
Harper is also home to theRoman Catholic Diocese of Cape Palmas, one of three dioceses of the Catholic Church in Liberia.
Media related toHarper, Liberia at Wikimedia Commons
4°22′N7°43′W / 4.367°N 7.717°W /4.367; -7.717
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