RESOURCES

"On Hallowed Ground: Gettysburg in History & Memory" will be supported by its close proximity to three key resources: the Gettysburg National Military Park (GNMP); Gettysburg College itself; and a collection of community facilities—including the recently constructed Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center (GMVC) and the Adams County Historical Society (ACHS). Workshop activities are also supported by scholarship produced by some of  the leading authorities on Civil War era studies working today.  Taken together, the extensive resources available in Gettysburg and its immediate vicinity make this town a key site for information and inspiration for those hoping to understand what America is, what it has been, and what it could be. Our workshop is designed to help participants contextualize their understanding of Gettysburg’s significance by rooting their scholarly interrogations in the historical events that shaped this small town’s destiny in the summer of 1863—using the intellectual theme of Gettysburg as “hallowed ground” as a foundation. This assemblage of resources and carefully planned daily activities will provide workshop participants with a unique sense of the battle’s importance and of the responsibility we all have to ensure that its meaning is protected for future generations.

WORKSHOP SITE & RESOURCES

Surrounding the borough of Gettysburg on three sides, the battlefields upon which most of the fighting occurred in 1863 have been assiduously preserved by the National Park Service (NPS); indeed, the Gettysburg National Military Park is widely regarded as one of the most well-protected historic sites in the nation, if not the world. Not long after the conclusion of the war, various historic and civic groups, assisted by supporters of those who fought here and veterans, themselves, began placing monuments throughout the battlefield to celebrate and commemorate what happened here. The NPS has worked diligently to acquire new sections of the battlefield and protect them from development—continuing a tradition of preservation efforts that began when Lincoln visited in 1863 and culminated in 1895 when main portions of the battlefield were designated as national park land. Due to these protection efforts, Gettysburg is able to serve as a very real, living and breathing monument to another era in American life. In addition to preserved battlefield lands, the streets of Gettysburg are lined with houses built before the battle, and well-known “witness trees”—trees that stood here as the bullets flew—are also incorporated into local historic tours. In short, there is no better place to learn about Gettysburg than in Gettysburg, and it could well be argued that there is no better place to explore the history of the Civil War and contextualize its meaning than in the landscape that saw its deadliest battle.

Likewise, there may be no better place to immerse oneself in the scholarly study of the Battle of Gettysburg than at Gettysburg College, which houses several comprehensive programs designed to help people understand the history of the battle and its significance. Located in the heart of the Gettysburg borough, Gettysburg College (known in 1863 as Pennsylvania College) is a highly selective, nationally recognized liberal arts college founded with the financial assistance of noted abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens. The College’s oldest building, Pennsylvania Hall, was commissioned as a field hospital during the battle, and the institution contributed students and faculty to both sides of the conflict. Musselman Library, located in the heart of campus directly across from Pennsylvania Hall, holds a small but notable Civil War Era Collection, as well as a microfilm collection chronicling the Civil War and antebellum periods. Musselman also houses the College’s Special Collections archive, which features items from various cultures and historical periods. Throughout the week, participants will have time to explore these various materials and identify resources for use in the teaching projects we will ask them to create.

In addition to its collection of historical resources and close proximity to the Gettysburg National Military Park, the College is conveniently located near the NPS’s extensive public resources. The NPS hosts an impressive archive of artifacts associated with the battle and with the Civil War in general, some of which are displayed at the new multi-million dollar Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center. This new facility is home to one of only two remaining copies of Paul Philippoteaux’s cyclorama painting of Pickett’s Charge—which was recently restored and is on display to the public—and will provide even veteran Gettysburg visitors a fresh look at the battle and its significance. Gettysburg is also home to the Adams County Historical Society (ACHS), which it operates from its headquarters at Wolf House along Seminary Ridge. As Dwight Eisenhower, himself a resident of Gettysburg, once said: “History was also made here in quiet lives, on farm and village street”—a gentle reminder that the battle of Gettysburg was not the only noteworthy event to occur in this area. The ACHS (affectionately known to some as “the county’s attic”) and its unique collection of historic documents and artifacts help reinforce the battle’s human dimension, reminding visitors that the opposing armies were first drawn to Gettysburg as a crossroads town with active farming and merchant communities.

ACADEMIC RESOURCES

Discussions and other workshop activities throughout the week will be supported by scholarship produced by leading scholars of the Civil War era. All workshop participants will be expected to complete reading assignments prior to or during the workshop session. Reading assignments, including primary source material not cited here, will be compiled in the Workshop Reader. Reading assignments include excerpts from the following texts:

Borritt, Gabor, Scott Hancock, and Ira Berlin. Slavery, Resistance, Freedom. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Fink, Sam. The Illustrated Gettysburg Address. New York: Random House, 1994.

Guelzo, Allen C. Gettysburg: The Last Invasion. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013.

LaFantasie, Glenn W. Twilight at Little Round Top: July 2, 1863--The Tide Turns at Gettysburg. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2005.

McPherson, James M. Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg. New York: Crown Journeys, 2003.

Reardon, Carol. Pickett's Charge in History and Memory. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.

Weeks, Jim.   Gettysburg: Memory, Market, and an American Shrine. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2003.

Wills, Garry. Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992.

All workshop participants will receive a Workshop Reader with required reading assignments included in it after arriving in Gettysburg; participants will be expected to read the McPherson text before arrival and will receive a complimentary copy of Fink's illustrated edition of the Gettysburg Address after arrival.