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The Gettysburg Experience magazine, a publication exploring the Gettysburg of yesterday and today. We offer an array of interesting articles – most of which have a direct relation to historic Gettysburg from the Colonial era through the turn of the 21st century, often with an emphasis on the famous battle that occurredin the summer of 1863.
The Gettysburg Experience also offers a comprehensive Events Calendar (for those who want to know what special happenings to attend when they visit – any time of the year), delicious recipes, Gettysburg trivia, profiles of people and area businesses,
Having served the Gettysburg area since 1997, The Gettysburg Experience now extends our magazine to a wider circulation of readers, offering a glimpse into one of America’s most fascinating towns.
Editors Letter
February is always a month to enjoy, provided that a certain Pennsylvania groundhog doesn't see his shadow. We at The Gettysburg Experience are happy to bring you, in this shortest of months, enough interesting articles, delicious recipes, and our updated Calendar of Events to tide you over until the promise of spring -- which is just around the corner!
Read More >Gettysburg's Historic Bridge
Pennsylvania has often been called “The State of Bridges” and Gettysburg boasts one of the most historic spans in the state. In 1852, local builder David Stoner received a contract to build a covered bridge to span Marsh Creek, southwest of the borough of Gettysburg, on land owned by civilian John Pfoutz. Its cost to taxpayers was $1,544.00. It would not be the first, last, longest, or most unusual bridge in the state. Known as Pennsylvania’s most historic bridge, the Sachs Bridge stands as a picturesque reminder of a bygone era.
Read More >Presidential Couples: How They Met
In honor of Presidents’ Day and Valentine’s Day, it is important in studying American history to see that our national leaders are also people who had to make their ways in the world. They faced hardships and broken hearts, most of them married, and most found love in those matches. Of our 44 Presidents (which are really 43, as Grover Cleveland was President #22 and #24), all but one were married, and some were married more than once. Here is a brief description of how each of our United States Presidents met their First Ladies.
Read More >The Horse Soldier
After 30 years on Gettysburg’s historic Baltimore Street, The Horse Soldier has relocated to a more expansive Gettysburg address at 219 Steinwehr Avenue. Owned and operated by the Small family, The Horse Soldier is one of Gettysburg’s longest running business establishments. “We’ve come a long way from the days when Chet sold artifacts pulled from beneath the family room sofa,” explained office manager Dana Diehl. For many years the Smalls bought and sold valuable Civil War memorabilia from their home near the Peach Orchard. When Chet’s wife, Pat, finally tired of the myriad items cluttering her home, Chet built a barnand sold his relics from it for many years. In 1980 the Smalls moved their business to Old Gettysburg Village, where the establishment thrived for three decades. The move to a more spacious building on Steinwehr Avenue shows that The Horse Soldier continues its great success that began with one man’s interest in the artifacts he found on his own property a century after the guns fell silent in Pennsylvania’s most historic town.
Read More >Winfield Scott Hancock: Born to be a Soldier
February 14, 1824 was a cool and blustery Valentine’s Day, and as is usual in the mid-Atlantic region, there was the promise of snow. James Monroe was in the White House. The Missouri Compromise had become law just a few years before, and ending slavery was already being discussed between England and the United States. In eastern Pennsylvania, a few miles north of Norristown, Pennsylvania, twin sons were born to Benjamin Franklin Hancock and his lovely wife, Elizabeth. Since the scholarly school master and future barrister was named after an American icon, he felt that he should name his sons after those whom he admired. The first he named after the great War of 1812 commander General Winfield Scott, and the second he named after his friend Hilary Baker. A few years later, another boy child, John Hancock, was born to the couple. The close-knit husband and wife loved all three sons, but their eldest, Winfield Scott Hancock, showed amazing promise, and was his father’s favorite.1
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