A brew fest and trail run scheduled will benefit the preservation of a farm that served as a staging area and headquarters for Confederate Major General Edward “Allegheny” Johnson’s preparation and attack of the Union right flank on Culp’s Hill.
The 2023 Gettysburg Brewfest & Trail 5K is scheduled for Aug. 19, 2023 at the Daniel Lady Farm on Gettysburg’s Hanover Road. The trail run will kick off at 8 a.m. and VIP beer fest admission will open at 2:30 p.m. The general public is welcome at 3:30 p.m.
“This event is very distinctive and even more attractive to many who are very happy to combine their love of running with their pleasure tasting a variety of beers and ciders,” said Randy Phiel, event organizer. “If you are a runner who loves to taste beer, it is almost a perfect day! If you just like to do one and not the other, it is still a great day!”
Important battlefield site
At 4 p.m. on July 2, 1863, Confederate Artillery moved from the farm to nearby Benner’s Hill and began to place steady fire on Culp’s Hill and East Cemetery Hill preceding the Rebel infantry assault. After a 90-minute duel, the southern batteries were soon overwhelmed by the Union return fire from East Cemetery Hill and eventually destroyed.
Several Confederate infantry assaults were attempted and repulsed by Union troops who had dug in during the night and fortified their positions after their retreat on the first day. When the smoke cleared, Confederate casualties were transported to The Daniel Lady Farm after the battle. Officers were treated in the house and enlisted in the barn.
Blood stains are still visible on the barn and house’s floors. Initials carved in door jams by soldiers and a cannonball resting in a floor joist also remain.
After the Battle
Following those three days that changed American history, The Daniel Lady Farm was exclusively a working farm until the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association purchased it in 1999 and launched several years of meticulous restoration to return the house and barn to their 1863 appearance.
Besides farming operations, the farm has offered tours, camping for re-enactors and scouts, living history demonstrations, and educational workshops.
The GBPA recently purchased the 70-acre Crouse property on the other side of Hanover Road, in order to put the original 200-acre farm tract back together.
Preservation costly
Sustaining, restoring, and preserving The Daniel Lady Farm is costly so fundraising is a constant fact of life for GBPA.
For the past five years, under the leadership of GBPA President Kirk Davis, the farm has been the site of several smaller-scale Civil War re-enactments and period living histories from different eras.
The 2023 Gettysburg Brewfest & Trail 5K is another way the GBPA is funding preservation efforts.
Event details
The cannon will start the Trail 5k at 8 a.m., Aug. 19 at the farm’s Eisenhower Center. The trail route incorporates field roads, lawn, a 1/3-mile woods path, and a path around the house, barn and pond.
Packet pick-up will be at the Eisenhower Center on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and from 6 to 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Runners can purchase a combination package for the Trail 5K & Brewfest.
The Brewfest will take place on the spacious lawn and within the grove of trees that are surrounded by the stone house, barn, and pond.
Besides a variety of brewers and cider makers, there will be food and musical entertainment. Free tours of the house and barn are included with every Trail 5K or Brewfest admission. Brewfest VIP Admission is 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Brewfest General Admission is 3:30 to 7 p.m. Admission to the Brewfest is strictly limited to those 21 and over. Designated driver tickets are available for those over 21 with a VIP or general admission ticket holder.
More information and links to ticket sales are available at ww.gettysburgbrewfestandtrail5k.com.
Read about the 2023 Gettysburg Brass Band Festival
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.