Harper

History

Harper was the capital of the Republic 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 the Americo-Liberians, descendants of free people of color and freed slaves from the United States who settled in Liberia and declared it an independent country in 1847. John Brown Russwurm, an African-American abolitionist 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 the plantation architecture of the southern United States, where many of the Americo-Liberians came from. Before the First Liberian Civil War, Harper was an important administrative centre. During the 1970s, Harper was terrorized by Maryland 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. Tubman University, one of only two public universities in Liberia, is located in Harper. Harper is also home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cape Palmas, one of three dioceses of the Catholic Church in Liberia.

Geography

A warm ocean temperature is present year round. Fish are found in abundance, as well as whales, dolphins, and large oysters. Fanti canoes sail from Harper to Monrovia via Greenville. This trip can take from 3 to 6 days depending on the wind and weather. A UNMIL ship, the MV Catarina, sails fortnightly between Harper and Monrovia. From the Ivory Coast, Harper is accessible from Tabou. Local landmarks are the old, ruined mansion of William Tubman, President of Liberia, and the shell of the Morning Star Masonic Lodge, also built by Tubman.

Most-observed species

• Snouted Grassland Frog

  Ptychadena longirostris (Peters, 1870) · Amphibia
  4
• Madagascar periwinkle, Rose periwinkle, Rosy periwinkle, Cape periwinkle, Old-maid, Pink periwinkle

  Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don · Magnoliopsida
  3
• Pied Crow

  Corvus albus Statius Muller, 1776 · Aves
  2
• Common Bulbul

  Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines, 1789) · Aves
  2
• Swamp Arum

  Lasimorpha senegalensis Schott · Liliopsida
  2
• Bitter gourd, Bitter melon, Bitter balsam apple, Balsam apple, Wild balsam-apple, Bitter apple, Bitter squash, Bitter cucumber, Bitter gourd, Carilla gourd, Carilla bush, Balsam Pear, Jumbee pumpkin, Maiden apple

  Momordica charantia L. · Magnoliopsida
  2
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  2
• Black-legged Nephila

  Trichonephila fenestrata (Thorell, 1859) · Arachnida
  1