Gettysburg was the site of theBattle of Gettysburg, which was fought in Gettysburg over three days from July 1 to 3, 1863, during theAmerican Civil War. With over 50,000 combined casualties, the Battle of Gettysburg is both the deadliest battle of the Civil War and in all of American history. The battle, which was won by theUnion army, also proved theturning point of the war, leading to theUnion's victory two years later and the nation's preservation. Later that year, on November 19, PresidentAbraham Lincoln traveled to present-dayGettysburg National Cemetery, where he participated in a ceremonial consecration of the cemetery and delivered theGettysburg Address, a carefully crafted 271-word address, which is considered one of the most famous speeches in history.
On November 19, 1863,U.S. PresidentAbraham Lincoln (center, facing camera) delivered theGettysburg Address, considered one of the famous speeches in American history.[6][7]Downtown Gettysburg in 1930Gettysburg in 1935
In 1760, IrishmanSamuel Gettys settled at theShippensburg-Baltimore andPhiladelphia-Pittsburgh crossroads, in what was then westernYork County, and established a tavern frequented by soldiers and traders. In 1786, his sonJames purchased 116 acres of his land, divided it up into 220 lots and sold them, and is thus considered the founder of Gettysburg.[8] The borough boundary was established, with the Dobbin House tavern (established in 1776) sitting in the southwest.
Beginning in 1790, a movement seeking to split off the western portion of York County into a separate county had begun. A commission was drawn up to fix the site of the new county's seat; they ultimately chose a location in Strabane Township (nowStraban Township), just northeast of Gettysburg. In 1791, additional trustees were appointed to plan to construct public buildings in Gettysburg instead of in Straban.
On January 22, 1800, thePennsylvania Legislature created Adams County, and named Gettysburg as its county seat.[9]
In 1858, theGettysburg Railroad completed the construction of arailroad line from Gettysburg toHanover, and theGettysburg Railroad Station opened a year later.Passenger train service to the town ended in 1942. The station was restored in 2006. In 2011, SenatorRobert Casey introduced S. 1897, including the railroad station within the boundary of Gettysburg National Military Park.[10] By 1860, the borough had grown in size to consist of "450 buildings [which] housed carriage manufacturing, shoemakers, and tanneries".[11]
Between July 1 and 3, 1863, theBattle of Gettysburg, one of the bloodiest battles during theAmerican Civil War, was fought across the fields and heights surrounding the town.
TheConfederateArmy of Northern Virginia, under the command ofRobert E. Lee, experienced success in the early stages of the battle but was ultimately defeated by theArmy of the Potomac, commanded byGeorge G. Meade. Lee executed an orderly withdrawal and escaped across thePotomac River without being drawn into another battle. Meade was heavily criticized by PresidentAbraham Lincoln for his cautious pursuit and failure to destroy Lee's retreating army.
Casualties were high, with total losses on both sides – over 27,000 Confederate and 23,000 Union. The residents of Gettysburg were left to care for the wounded, and bury the dead following the Confederate retreat. Approximately 8,000 men and 3,000 horses lay under the summer sun. The Union soldiers' bodies were gradually reinterred in what is today known asGettysburg National Cemetery, where, on November 19, 1863,Abraham Lincoln attended a ceremony toofficially consecrate the grounds and delivered hisGettysburg Address.
A 20-year-old woman,Jennie Wade, was the only civilian killed during the battle. She was hit by a stray bullet that passed through her kitchen door while she was making bread on July 3.[12]
Physical damage can still be seen in some of the houses throughout the town, notably the Schmucker House[13] located onSeminary Ridge.
The furniture manufacturing industry employed people in Gettysburg for the first half of the 20th century. The "Gettysburg Manufacturing Company", formed in 1902, was the first company established in the borough for the purpose of manufacturing residential furniture. Other companies soon followed. The borough's industry reached peak production and success about the 1920s. This important industry declined from 1951, when the three main companies either moved, closed or were sold. The Gettysburg Furniture Company factory closed in 1960, becoming a warehouse and distribution point for other furniture factories outside of Pennsylvania.
Gettysburg manufacturing associated with tourism included a late 19th century foundry that manufactured gun carriages, bridgeworks and cannons for theGettysburg Battlefield, as well as a construction industry for hotels, stables, and other buildings for tourist services. Early tourist buildings in the borough included museums (like the 1881 Danner Museum[14]), souvenir shops, buildings of theelectric trolley (preceded by a horse trolley from theGettysburg Railroad Station to the Springs Hotel), and stands for hackmen who drove visitors in jitneys (horse-drawn group taxis) on tours. Modern tourist services in the borough include ghost tours, bed and breakfast lodging, and historical interpretation (reenactors, etc.).
Gettysburg lies in thehumid continental climate zone of northern and centralPennsylvania, just north of thehumid subtropical zone of centralMaryland, with hot, humid summers and cool winters. On average, January is the coldest month, with an average temperature of 29.8 °F (−1.2 °C). Winters range from cool to moderately cold, with relatively frequent snowfalls. July is the warmest month, with an average temperature of 74.4 °F (23.6 °C), and June is the wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Gettysburg was 104 °F (40 °C) on July 16, 1988, while the coldest temperature recorded was −25 °F (−32 °C) on January 21, 1994.[20]
Gettysburg borough, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the 2010 census, Gettysburg had a population of 7,620, and was 79.6% non-Hispanic white, 10.9% Hispanic or Latino, 5.4% African American, 1.9% Asian, 2.2% all other.[32]
Every year from July 1–3 volunteers reenact the Battle of Gettysburg. Each day re-enactors display a different part of the battle with commentary regarding the hardships of the battles. The battles are narrated by the battlefield guides of the Gettysburg National Military Park.[33]
The main east–west road through downtown Gettysburg isU.S. Route 30, which is known as York Street east of Lincoln Square and Chambersburg Street west of Lincoln Square.
York Adams Transportation Authority (YATA) operates public transportation in Adams County.Freedom Transit, implemented in 2009,[35] The hub of the bus system, the new Gettysburg Transit Center, is under construction on Carlisle Street.[36] Beginning in 2011, aRabbit Transit commuter bus to Harrisburg runs two times each weekday in each direction.[37]
TheAdams County News was a newspaper located in Gettysburg, which was published 1908–17. (Available in digitized form online.)
Gettysburg is located in the Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, PAmedia market. Television stations that cover Gettysburg news includeWHTM-TV andWHP-TV in Harrisburg,WGAL in Lancaster, andWPMT in York. Some Gettysburg residents also receive broadcasts fromWJZ-TV in Baltimore, Maryland andWDVM-TV in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Schools in Gettysburg borough include Lincoln Elementary School and Gettysburg Area Middle School.[39][40]Gettysburg Area High School is in nearbyStraban Township.[41] James Gettys Elementary School, which has a Gettysburg postal address, is inCumberland Township.[42] While all parts of the school district are assigned to the same middle and high schools, different areas are zoned to different elementary schools: parts of the borough are zoned to Lincoln Elementary, other parts are zoned to Gettys Elementary, and some parts have a choice between the schools.[43]
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th U.S. president, and his wifeMamie Eisenhower, retired to a farm near Gettysburg after leaving the White House in 1961. He lived there until his death in 1969.
Julia Jacobs Harpster (1846–1935), American Lutheran missionary in India, born in Gettysburg.
The Rev.Henry Eyster Jacobs (1844–1932), theologian and Lutheran seminary president.
^Robert D. Quigley,Civil War Spoken Here: A Dictionary of Mispronounced People, Places and Things of the 1860s (Collingswood, NJ: C. W. Historicals, 1993), p. 68.ISBN0-9637745-0-6.
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived fromthe original on May 31, 2011. RetrievedJune 7, 2011.
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