Harper

Harper sits on Cape Palmas in Liberia's far southeast and holds the largest group of nineteenth-century settler architecture left in the country: brick and clapboard mansions built by returning Americans, including the house of President William Tubman, who came from here, standing empty and roofless along the streets. A lighthouse marks the cape. The town is a very long way from anywhere. Maryland was a separate colony before joining Liberia in 1857, which is why the town's architecture is distinct.

History

Harper was the capital of the Republic of Maryland, independent from 1834 to 1857 and the last part of modern Liberia to join it, and Cape Palmas is one of the traditional hometowns of the Americo-Liberians; the abolitionist John Brown Russwurm is buried here (Wikipedia, Harper, Liberia).

The main sights

• The settler mansions - the largest surviving group of nineteenth-century houses.
• The Tubman house - the president's family home in the town.
• The lighthouse - the light on Cape Palmas.
• The isolation - a town at the far end of the country.

When to go

November to April is the dry season. The heavy rains from May make the roads very difficult. Flights are irregular.

Good to know

Most of the mansions are roofless ruins and unsafe to enter. The road from Monrovia is very long and often impassable; flights are irregular. Facilities are basic.

Nearby

Cape Palmas is at the point, and the Ivorian border is east.

Key facts