Gettysburg will mark the 163rd anniversary of the Gettysburg Address on Thursday, Nov. 19, with a procession from Lincoln Square and a ceremony at Gettysburg National Cemetery. The two-day reenactment of Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 visit is part of Gettysburg’s observance of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Actor Billy Campbell, who portrayed the president in National Geographic’s Killing Lincoln, is scheduled to arrive at the Gettysburg Lincoln Train Station at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, aboard a working replica steam locomotive. He will walk through Lincoln Square to the David Wills House and greet spectators from the steps. The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania’s evening program includes a welcome ceremony and a cascading performance of “Taps” around the square at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free, and organizers will require tickets to enter Wednesday’s event area.

Town bells will ring at 10 a.m. Thursday to signal the start of the procession. It will leave the David Wills House and head down Baltimore Street toward the cemetery, entering through the Taneytown Road gate. The procession and ceremony are free and require no tickets.

The cemetery program will recreate the music and prayers of the 1863 dedication, along with Edward Everett’s oration and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Historian Allen Guelzo will portray Everett, who delivered the keynote before Lincoln spoke. The ceremony will follow the procession and is expected to end around 2 p.m. The National Park Service lists an approximate 11 a.m. start.

Portions of Baltimore Street, Steinwehr Avenue and Taneytown Road will close for Thursday’s procession. Shuttles are scheduled to start at 8 a.m. from Gettysburg Area High School, HACC’s Gettysburg campus and Gettysburg Rec Park. Shuttle service will be limited from noon to 2 p.m.

Downtown programming runs Nov. 16–19. The David Wills House will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, it will be open from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and again from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Admission to the house is free.

See the full program schedule and ticket information and road closure maps and shuttle details.