As part of Gettysburg’s First Friday activities, Historic Gettysburg Adams County (HGAC) will present “An Evening with the Murals: The Wistful Work of Virginia Jacobs McLaughlin.”
In 1990, after a two-year restoration of the Grand Army of the Republic Hall (G.A.R. Hall) in Gettysburg, noted itinerant artist Virginia Jacobs McLaughlin painted a series of murals on the hall’s walls that highlight Gettysburg’s historic past, depicting notable sites, buildings and activities of Adams County.
HGAC volunteers will host the program at the G.A.R. Hall, 53 East Middle Street, on Friday, Oct. 3, examining McLaughlin’s life and work as exemplified in the mural series; a special focus will be the influences McLaughlin acknowledged as informing her vision and practice. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the murals both before and after the presentation, which is free and open to the public.
The G.A.R. Hall was originally built in 1822 by the local Methodist community and remains the oldest standing church structure in Gettysburg.
Submitted by Greg Kaufmann, HGAC Vice President