Local History

Main Street Gettysburg is pleased to launch a fundraising program to support the future Gettysburg Welcome Center – Legacy Endowment Fund. Construction funds for the welcome center project are secured, thanks to local fundraising, Borough investment, and Congressional allocation. Main Street Gettysburg raised over $153,000; Borough of Gettysburg committed $300,000 under capital projects; and a

Gettysburg’s second Ken Burns Film Festival and third major celebration of historical films in little more than a year drew 4000+ people to events this weekend. This time the leading attractions weren’t Gettysburg’s George Pickett (Stephen Lang) and James Longstreet (Tom Berenger) but instead were Law and Order prosecutor Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and West

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s well-deserved reputation for military leadership comes mainly from the formal command authority he exercised: first at Gettysburg’s Camp Colt during World War I; as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II; as postwar U.S. Army Chief of Staff; and as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, for NATO, in the

Adams County residents are invited to enjoy complimentary admission to the Gettysburg Heritage Center on Monday, February 19, 2024.  The museum is open to visitors from 10 am – 4 pm, with the last entrance into the exhibit area at 3:00 pm.  The invitation allows for more locals to come and experience what the Heritage

With the help of members and supporters, the Thaddeus Stevens Society has reached its goal of raising $28,000 for a new museum. The society has leased a storefront at 46 Chambersburg Street in downtown Gettysburg for the first Thaddeus Stevens museum.  The grand opening is planned for April 4, 2024, the 232nd birthday of Stevens

Before the Battle of Gettysburg erupted in the small crossroads town on July 1, 1863, South Central Pennsylvania was the scene of another struggle, between slavery and freedom, over the course of 85 years.   To help tell this story, Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center (SRMEC) was recently awarded a $19,000 Public Impact Project

A collection of Gettysburg royalty, including Acting Park Superintendent Zachary Bolitho; Gettysburg College president Robert Iuliano; Gettysburg Foundation chair Wayne Motts; Lincoln scholar and Lincoln Forum chair Harold Holzer; writer and policy analyst Susan Eisenhower; and Wendy Allen, president of the Lincoln Fellowship, moved indoors to the Majestic Theater to celebrate the 160th anniversary of

UPDATE ALERT: CHANGE OF DEDICATION DAY CEREMONY VENUE FROM THE GETTYSBURG NATIONAL CEMETERY TO GETTYSBURG COLLEGE’S MAJESTIC THEATER, 25 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg, PA. The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania is honored to invite the public to the Majestic Theater on November 19th, 2023 for a special Dedication Day ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the historic

Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Foundation are pleased to announce a special Veterans Appreciation Day at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2023. To honor our U.S. military veterans for their service, veterans are invited to enjoy a special discount and receive free admission to the Film, Cyclorama & Museum Experience at

One Hundred Nights of Taps, Gettysburg is finishing its 2023 evening programs on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4. The closing program features multiple buglers sounding cascading Taps, an especially moving conclusion. The Labor Day program will also include an Enduring Pathway educational segment presented by GNMP Ranger Smith.                                                      Every day since Memorial Day, a few

The Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary’s Schmucker House, located at the corner of Seminary Ridge and Springs Ave on the seminary campus is getting an update. The current focus is on the home’s two porches, including a large wraparound porch, but future updates may be on the horizon. The house is currently home to the administrative offices

Please join us as we welcome on Aug. 20 at 1:00 p.m. Dr. Stephen A. Douglas for a special presentation and book signing of his new release, “One More War to Fight: Union Veterans’ Battle for Equality through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the Lost Cause.” Dr. Goldman is a psychiatrist with decades of experience in

Gettysburg’s Seminary Ridge Museum announces the 160th Battle of Gettysburg Anniversary on the Ridge event, June 30 – July 3.  Join museum staff with battlefield walking tours, real-time programs, guest presenters, children’s activities, and an outdoor screening of the film “Gettysburg.” Click here to see the complete list of activities.

Gettysburg National Military Park staff will commemorate the 160th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 2, and 3, with a series of free hikes, walks, and talks that discuss, explore, and reflect on this important turning point in the American Civil War. The public is invited to join National Park Service staff throughout

New York Times best-selling author and Gettysburg resident Jeff Shaara will make several experiences in the county over the summer. Shaara will be sharing his newest release, “The Old Lion,” the story of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. “It was a daunting task, and my greatest hope is that I’ve done him justice.  He certainly deserves that,”

In less than one year, hundreds of American Battlefield Trust members will descend on Gettysburg for the national preservation organization’s 2024 Annual Conference. From April 25–28, they’ll enjoy tours, talks, and other special gatherings at an event designed to showcase both the battlefield and the community that surrounds it. Speaking from the group’s iconic property

“We had an almost mystical visit to the cemetery,” said Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer about his recent trip to Gettysburg with 19 Hunter College students. “We walked in via the route Lincoln took and visited the soldiers’ monument plus the now famous rhododendron bush [recently identified as the spot where Lincoln stood to deliver his

Long-time owner of Gettysburg’s General Pickett’s Buffet Gary “Ozy” Ozenbaugh and officials from the American Battlefield Trust paid a scheduled visit to the Gettysburg Area Recreational Authority this afternoon to uphold their commitment to make a $20,000 gift in support of community projects. “After decades on Steinwehr Avenue, the time was right for us to

Ken Burns, the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) filmmaker who has done so much to explore “Who We Are,” is in town all weekend for his first-ever retrospective film festival. “Who Are We: A Festival Celebrating the Films of Ken Burns” is jointly sponsored by Gettysburg College and the Gettysburg Majestic Theater. At a discussion on

An unexploded ordnance shell dating from the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg was discovered today at the Gettysburg National Military Park. The shell was found within the area of rehabilitation currently occurring around Little Round Top. The U.S. Army 55th Ordnance Disposal Company Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from Fort Belvoir, VA gently washed off the mud

PA Governor Tom Wolf and other dignitaries gathered in front of the William Goodridge Freedom Center and Underground Railroad site in York on Friday. They were there to unveil and dedicate a monument of William Goodridge, who was born in slavery but became one of York’s leading businessmen and a major leader on the Underground

“Ticket to the Past-Unforgettable Journeys,” a virtual reality experience at the Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station at 35 Carlisle St. opened today to provide visitors with a journey into the history of the station, a place with a special interest in U.S. history. Visitors travel back to July 1863 when the station became the  first army

Beginning April 23, 2022, the historic David Wills House will reopen, free of charge, on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Effective June 2, 2022, operations will expand to Thursday-Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. National Park Service Rangers will staff the home with support from Main Street Gettysburg. The reopening of