A Civil War sword, a family’s roots in Adams County, and a 1978 peace mission to Gettysburg came together Friday Night at the Majestic Theater as the PEOPLE Project explored the theme “Generations & Crossroads.”
The event was the project’s seventh production. Its founder, Lisa Cordiano, described it as a celebration of “the imperfections of being a person.” The project uses first-person storytelling, music, and visual art to show how personal choices and family histories shape the community.
This year’s theme grew from conversations about Gettysburg as both a literal crossroads and a place where generations and lives meet. The project also includes an art exhibition at Waldo’s & Co., with a reception scheduled for Nov. 6.
Gettysburg Artist Sarah Jacobs opened the evening with a look at her 1,000-square-foot mural on the south wall of the Beyond the Battle Museum. To bring Adams County’s history—from the age of dinosaurs into the future—into one image, Jacobs said she collapsed both time and geography. The mural includes many figures who could have lived in the region across different eras. The one known historical figure is photographer William Tipton, whose more than 100,000 portraits documented people and places. In the mural, Tipton looks out toward viewers, drawing them into the scene.
A video from Garry Adelman, chief historian of the American Battlefield Trust, described his own long path to Gettysburg. A book of photographs first sparked his interest in the Civil War. After years of visits, he moved to Gettysburg in 1992, eventually becoming a licensed battlefield guide and historian.
Licensed battlefield guide Judy Morley spoke about the life changes that led her from Colorado to Gettysburg. After surviving cancer, raising her daughter, and pursuing a career in history, Morley moved east and settled in Adams County. Her plans to raise goats and lavender did not come to pass, she said, but she built a life around the Gettysburg Cookie Company and her work in local history.
Thirteen-year-old living historian Will Morris V told the story of holding the sword used by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the Union colonel whose 20th Maine regiment fought at Little Round Top. Morris portrays Chamberlain on July 4, 1863, the day after the Battle of Gettysburg. He said the role carries a responsibility to tell Chamberlain’s story accurately and keep it alive.
Historian Debra Sandoe McCauslin traced her own path into Adams County history to a chance discovery in a book. She found a reference to George Sandoe, her relative and the first person killed in connection with the Battle of Gettysburg. That discovery led her to research African American history in the county, including the story of Yellow Hill and the life of Kitty Payne.
Payne was born enslaved in Virginia and later freed with her children. In 1845, armed men kidnapped her and her family from their home on Bear Mountain and took them back to Virginia. After more than 300 days in jail, Payne and the children returned to Pennsylvania. McCauslin’s research inspired the musical project “Up on This Mountain: The Story of Kitty Payne.” Honey on the Rocks performed selections from that work, including “My Children” and “Up on This Mountain.”
Julie Aha sang “Gracias a la Vida,” a Spanish-language song about gratitude for life.
Former Gettysburg National Military Park historian Bob Prosperi was on furlough and traveling in Virginia in September 1978 when he learned he had to return to Gettysburg the next day, because President Jimmy Carter had requested him again after a July battlefield tour. The event was the Camp David Meeting among Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin that led to the so-called Camp David Accords. “You don’t say no to a sitting president,” Prosperi joked, adding that he welcomed the opportunity.
At the Virginia Memorial, television crews, security teams, helicopters, and fighter jets surrounded the visiting leaders. After Carter introduced Prosperi to Sadat, Begin, and their aides, he announced, “Mr. Prosperi is going to tell us about war.” Looking at Israeli General Moshe Dayan’s battle-scarred face and eyepatch, Prosperi asked Carter, “You want me to tell these guys about war?” He relaxed when he realized Carter meant Gettysburg. The four then set off in the president’s limousine.
Prosperi recalled Sadat and Begin shaking hands beside the battlefield’s cannons. Sadat said, “No more war. Let’s go back and make peace.”
Adams County fruit farmer and cidermaker Ben Wenk reflected on his connection to the South Mountain fruit belt, where his family has lived and worked for six generations. His travel away from the county, he said, helped him recognize the beauty of the landscapes he had grown up taking for granted.
The evening closed with “Louder Than Words,” from Jonathan Larson’s musical Tick, Tick… Boom!, performed by singers from Gettysburg Community Theatre, pianist Carrie Conklin, Honey on the Rocks’ Bevin Durant Fidler, and the caste of participants.
