Sunday, May 22nd, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

I started the day with a walk around the campground. I have been trying to stay focused on my activity. We got up on Sunday morning and some of us had booked a double decker Battlefield bus tour. Two of the couples have done this tour before, so they opted out of this excursion. So, ten of us are venturing out. Naturally, it is the hottest day of the season thus far!

Farnsworth House shows visible Civil War wounds on the side of the building. Being present during the Battle of Gettysburg, the Farnsworth House Inn was occupied by Confederate forces who utilized the structure as a make-shift hospital and headquarters, a practice that was common during the war; many of the surrounding homes and buildings would often become centers for planning attacks and treating the wounded. The historical fact is that the home has 135 bullet holes riddled in one of its sides, a direct result of the Battle of Gettysburg.

The Adams County Courthouse was built in 1859 to replace the original 1804 courthouse located in the town square. The new brick Italianate style building was designed to be large enough to house both the court system and county offices. The bell in the bell tower was cast in Philadelphia in 1804. The Adams County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Opened as Scott’s Tavern in 1797, this iconic Gettysburg Hotel weathered the Battle of Gettysburg and is steps away from the Wills House, where President Lincoln penned the Gettysburg Address. In 1991, the hotel restored its rooms and later acquired the majestic Gettysburg National Bank (1814), which is now a magnificent ballroom for weddings. In 2013, the hotel was transformed into an upscale, boutique-like property while still maintaining its historic integrity.

According to the urban legend, if the statue shows the horse posed with both front hooves up in the air, the rider died in battle.  If the horse is posed with one front leg up, it means the rider was wounded in battle or died of battle wounds. And if all four hooves are on the ground, the rider died from causes outside of battle. So is there any truth to the myth? While there are plenty of statues that follow the “rule” of the hoof positions, particularly with statues commemorating Gettysburg soldiers, there are at least nine instances where the rule does not hold for Gettysburg statues.

This monument is where General Reynolds fell. Major General John F. Reynolds was the highest ranking officer killed at the Battle of Gettysburg and one of the most senior officers to die in the Civil War. His decision to commit his infantry west of Gettysburg set the course of the fighting, but his death early in the battle was a serious blow to the Union Army.

The memorial was dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt on July 3rd, 1938, the 75th anniversary of the battle. One Union and one Confederate veteran unveiled the 47 1/2 foot tall shaft. Roosevelt compared the task of the men of the 1860’s with the men of his day: “All of them we honor, not asking under which Flag they fought then – thankful that they stand together under one Flag now.” In less than five years the grandsons of these veterans would be standing together in unimaginably terrible battles against enemies around the world. Over 250,000 people attended the dedication, with an estimated 100,000 more unable to make it due to overcrowded highways. Over 1,800 Civil War veterans attended what was to be the last reunion, all of them at least in their nineties. They lived in a luxurious tent camp complete with electricity and boardwalks set up in the fields north of Gettysburg College, attended by a host of Boy Scouts. The memorial’s $60,000 cost was provided by donations from state both north and south. Its base is made of Maine granite, while the shaft is of a lighter colored Alabama limestone. The gas-lit eternal flame burned until 1979 when it was replaced by electricity, but it was restored in 1988. The monument was the inspiration for the eternal flame on President Kennedy’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery.

Being a Theater major in college, theaters always intrigue me. The Majestic Theater in Gettysburg is no exception. On November 14th, 1925, the doors of the Majestic Theater opened for the first time, welcoming audiences to the largest vaudeville and silent movie theater in south-central Pennsylvania. Built by Henry Scharf as an annex to the historic Gettysburg Hotel, the theater seated 1,200 patrons and proudly served as the cultural crossroads of commerce, college, and community. In the 1950’s, the Majestic Theater stepped onto the world stage when President Dwight D. Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower regularly attended performances, often in the company of world leaders. The theater's ballroom/gymnasium, always a popular spot for young people, was often used by the White House press corps for news conferences whenever President Eisenhower was in residence at his Gettysburg farm. For a small-town theater, the Majestic has had more than its share of movie premieres, including the world premiere of Ted Turner's Civil War epic, Gettysburg, in 1993. In November 2005, the Majestic now beautifully restored to its original grandeur once again welcomed audiences with an extraordinary showcase of the performing arts and cinema.

Before President Lincoln delivered his immortal Gettysburg Address, Gettysburg's oldest and most historic building, the Dobbin House, was built. Reverend Alexander Dobbin, who built the Dobbin House, was an early frontier pioneer who helped settle and civilize the area. Shortly after his arrival in America, from Ireland, he became pastor of the Rock Creek Presbyterian Church, located one mile north of what is now Gettysburg. In 1774, the Dobbin purchased 300 acres of land in and around what is now the town of Gettysburg and commenced construction of a farm and the Dobbin House, for use as their dwelling and as a theological seminary and liberal arts college. Dobbin's school was the first of its kind in America west of the Susquehanna River, an academy which enjoyed an excellent reputation for educating many professional men of renown. In the mid-1800's, a secret crawl space, featured in "National Geographic", served as a "station" for hiding runaway slaves on their perilous journey to freedom on the "Underground Railroad." After the battle of Gettysburg ceased, and the armies had departed, it served as a hospital for wounded soldiers of both the North and the South. Today the historic house appears virtually the same as it did over 200 years ago. Its native stone walls, seven fireplaces, and hand carved woodwork have been painstakingly restored to their original beauty and character, with interior decor in the traditional eighteenth century manner. Many of the home's antique furnishings are identical to those listed in the inventory of Rev. Dobbin's estate. The china and flatware exactly match fragments which were unearthed during the re-excavation of the cellar.

We saw this log cabin on Baltimore Ave among average homes and it just makes you wonder why it is there. It is historic, because it has one of the brass plaques on it. I learned it used to belong to Thaddeus Stevens. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He was one of the leaders of the Radical Republican faction of the Republican Party during the 1860s. Thaddeus Stevens' Gettysburg Log Home is now an Air BNB. Built in 1790, this log home exemplifies a page from the history books with original wood floors, walls and beams. You can stay in it, if you dare … since many homes are haunted in Gettysburg.

This house is for sale again, even though it was just sold about 6-months ago. Anyone interested? Asking price is $825,000. The Shultz House, so-called for the family who lived there during the Battle of Gettysburg, was built in 1837 by Herman Haupt, a renowned civil engineer. Perhaps the most significant piece of history is in the exterior of the house. Haupt, the home’s original owner, served as a Union general in the Civil War but did not fight at Gettysburg. The home was witness to major fighting during the battle, and several remnants of cannon fire are preserved in the home’s brick façade.

            

Incidentally, the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory has a unique association with at least one aspect of Gettysburg battlefield history, the housing of World War II POWs. In 1944, 50 prisoners were housed temporarily in the armory while they constructed the POW compound along Emmitsburg Road on the fields of Pickett’s Charge. The POWs eventually housed on the battlefield provided labor in the apple orchards and the fruit processing plants in Adams County. The 1938 Armory along West Confederate Avenue within Gettysburg National Military Park was declared excess property by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its significance as an early armory of the Pennsylvania National Guard.  In January 2014, the Commonwealth donated the 3.67 acre property to the park’s non-profit partner, the Gettysburg Foundation.   It includes the historic art deco armory building plus a three bay garage and a storage shed. If the armory had been sold to a private-sector owner or developer, its new uses would have been unlikely to achieve the park’s preservation goals. The property’s mixed use/residential zoning allows for uses that had the potential to significantly detract from the park’s efforts to maintain the historic character of the site and its context in the nationally significant battlefield landscape.

The State of Virginia monument was the first of the Confederate State monuments at Gettysburg. It was dedicated on June 8, 1917 and unveiled by Miss Virginia Carter, a niece of Robert E Lee. Virginia contributed over 19,000 men to the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg, the largest contingent from the twelve Confederate states. Almost 4,500 of these – almost 1 out of 4 – became casualties, the second highest state total. The monument stands 41 feet high, with the statue of Lee and Traveler standing 14 feet high. It is the largest of the Confederate monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield, a fitting tribute to the state that provided the largest contingent to the Army of Northern Virginia, its commander, and its name. Lee’s figure, stands atop the monument astride his favorite horse, Traveler.

The statue was created by sculptor Frederick Sievers from photographs and life masks of the general. Sievers even went to Lexington, Virginia to study Traveler’s skeleton, preserved at Washington and Lee University. The total cost of the monument was $50,000. To me, the most interesting part of the statue stands below Lee as he studies the distant Union lines are seven Confederate soldiers. The group represents various types who left civil occupations to join the Confederate Army. From left to right; a professional man, a mechanic, an artist, a boy, a business man, a farmer, a youth.

At Little Round Top there is a massive NY Militia Monument. It is a monument to the 12th and 44th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiments. Dedicated in 1893, this ‘castle’ on Little Round Top is the largest regimental monument on the Gettysburg battlefield. It was designed by Daniel Butterfield, the original Colonel of the 12th New York and Meade’s Chief of Staff at Gettysburg. It stands 44 feet high and 12 feet wide, dimensions that represent the two regiments, and has a spiral staircase to a second floor observation deck. The tower, which is not open to the public, is topped by the Maltese Cross symbol of the Fifth Army Corps. Five bronze tablets outside the monument display information about the regiments. Inside, more tablets display the muster rolls of each company and reliefs of Generals Butterfield and Francis Barlow. The 44th New York was commanded at the Battle of Gettysburg by Colonel James C. Rice, who took over the brigade during the battle, leaving command of the regiment to Lieutenant Colonel Freeman Conner. It brought 460 men to the field, losing 26 killed, 82 wounded and 3 missing. The 12th New York consisted of two companies, D and E, and brought 117 men to the field, suffering no casualties. It was commanded at Gettysburg by Captain Henry W. Ryder.

The tour guide pointed out a Peach Orchard. What happened at the Peach Orchard in the Battle of Gettysburg? An advance forced the 3rd Corps to cover far too much ground, and it had barely taken its new position when Longstreet's attack struck. The Confederates overran the Peach Orchard and threatened the entire Union flank in the heaviest fighting of the battle.

The Pennsylvania State Memorial is a monument in Gettysburg National Military Park that commemorates the 34,530 Pennsylvania soldiers who fought in the July 1 to 3, 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. The memorial stands along Cemetery Ridge, the Union battle line on July 2, 1863. It is the largest monument on the Gettysburg battlefield. From the base to the tip of the sword of the statue of Winged Victory is 110 feet high.

The base of the statue is a pedestal, accessible by stairs, from which four grand supporting towers rise to support the dome and arches. The Northeast column houses a spiral staircase that leads to an observation deck with a breathtaking view of the battlefield. Eight portrait statues, two facing in each direction, depict the heroic leaders who took part in the battle. Seven are Pennsylvanians, including General George Meade, who commanded the Army of the Potomac, and Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin, who delayed Lee’s troops in Virginia and put together a state militia. The eighth statue is of President Abraham Lincoln, whose Gettysburg Address is among the nation’s most famous speeches.

Gettysburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 3,500 Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg, a Union victory often cited as a turning point in the Civil War. Numerous monuments stand in both the cemetery and battlefield to commemorate the Union and Confederate troops who fought there. At the cemetery’s dedication on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln rose to deliver “a few appropriate remarks,” now known as the Gettysburg Address.  His two-minute speech served as a reminder of the sacrifices of war and the necessity of holding the Union together.  Today, the battlefield and national cemetery form the Gettysburg National Military Park, a National Park Service unit dedicated to preserving and interpreting the battle, its aftermath, and the repercussions of Lincoln’s famous words.

If you were asked to name a cemetery in Gettysburg, you, along with most people, would likely say the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. However, Gettysburg has another cemetery with its own powerful story and unique history to tell—the Evergreen Cemetery. The name Evergreen was created during the Victorian rural cemetery movement where large, beautifully landscaped properties were developed to provide inspirational “green space” in cities. Town cemeteries were more than just burial grounds—they were a place to talk to the deceased, honor them with flowers, and even have a family picnic. Elizabeth Thorn found herself with the daunting task of burying Gettysburg’s dead while six months pregnant. With her husband off to war, she took on the role of superintendent and mother and buried nearly 100 Union soldiers’ remains in Evergreen. When the Soldiers’ National Cemetery was ready, 50 bodies buried by Elizabeth were exhumed and reinterred into their new plots. The families of the remaining buried in Evergreen did not wish for their soldiers to be moved.

After we returned home from double decker bus tour. We had a brief shower and near the end of it, we had a great view of this rainbow, it was actually a double rainbow, but the second rainbow is tough to see. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and enjoyed dinner with our gang. Before some of us headed off for a ghost tour.

Gettysburg, PA, is one of the most active paranormal hot spots in the world. This is the place where 94,000 Union troops under General George Meade clashed with 72,000 Confederate soldiers under General Robert E. Lee in what became the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. From July 1 to 3, 1863, more than 51,000 Americans were killed, wounded or went missing. We met our ghost tour guides at The Brickhouse Inn. I wonder if we meet here, because the place is haunted. What we learned is, if you will have to spend the night at the one of the Brickhouse Inn's 1898 Victorian houses, and you'll probably have to share your room with some of the ghosts rumored to haunt the historic inn.

During the battle of Gettysburg, this building was the headquarters of Union General Howard. In 1866, following the Civil War, the National Soldier's Orphan Homestead held as many as 130 children.  The head mistress was Rosa Carmichael, who was infamous for her cruelty and was eventually convicted of child abuse. The orphanage closed in 1877, but Rosa's dark spirit is said to be lurking in the basement, trapped and angry. There is a cellar dungeon, where orphans were once chained to the wall. Hollywood Square regular Charley Weaver narrated the story of Johnny's punishment. This is a popular destination for paranormal investigators. In 2011, cable's Ghost Adventures gang spent the night in the basement taunting cruel matron Rosa Carmichael, evil torturer of orphans, to get angry with them.

East Cemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform used for the battle of East Cemetery Hill during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day. Located on the east of Gettysburg's Baltimore Street and the Baltimore Pike which meet on the hill, the hill is a northeast spur, and the east slope, of Cemetery Hill.

The Jennie Wade House holds a very strange distinction when it comes to history. Thanks to a freak accident, the small home became the site of the Civil War's only direct death of a civilian. Today, ghost hunters say that her bizarre death has kept her from ever leaving her little home, and if you're lucky, you might just get to meet her. On July 3, 1863, 20-year-old Jennie Wade (Virginia) was in her sister's kitchen, hard at work making bread for hungry Union soldiers, when an errant bullet from a Confederate sniper pierced her heart. Jennie died instantly. The bullet had managed to make its way through two wooden doors before hitting Jennie and coming to rest in her corset. With a story that bizarre in a city known for its phantoms, it's not hard to see why ghost hunters flock to the building. I have to admit, I did not see Jennie Wade, but I did smell burnt bread.

We ended our ghost tour in an alley way that was supposed to haunted. Karen held the meter that was supposed to detect their presence. We did get some hits, but saw or felt nothing.

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