Blogs from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, North America - page 2

Gettysburg Yes, it was the site of one of the bloodiest battles in American history, but boy, this little town really is sweet. We only had a few hours in our first visit to Gettysburg, so we had to make it count. I must confess I hadn’t started the afternoon out with the savviest of civil war trivia, but I got there by the end. We didn’t want to tackle any educational paraphernalia on an empty stomach however, and so headed to Dobbin House Tavern for a good square meal. More than that, the servers kit themselves out in authentic costumes and the menu is a tongue-in-cheek throwback to hearty fare (minus the Hagen Daaz also available) of a quaint bygone era. I couldn’t resist ordering myself a Kahlua, even though somehow I doubt that particular ... read more

July 1, 2013 Today we went to Gettysburg. A lot was going on here this week because it’s the 150th anniversary. We walked around the battleground and stopped at lots of monuments. There were many reenactments and lots of people dressed in authentic clothing of the period. One guy whose grandfather fought in the battle was there, and he slept on the same ground the night before just as his grandfather before him had. He was interesting to talk to and I had my picture taken with him. Later in the evening we checked into the hotel in Fort Belvoir VA. We also picked up Robert’s aunt at Union Station.... read more

After a great ride through more Amish lush green farming country, here we are in Gettysburg. Not what I expected, thought it was a tribute to the rock band "Rush". First impressions: historic, pretty, spotlessly clean, pleasantly surprised that it wasn't commercialized, still very authentic. The small town remains a living part of history with a population of 7,000. We had a real history lesson today on what makes the town famous, namely the three bloodiest days of the Civil War battle and Abraham Lincoln's resulting Gettysburg Address. In 3 days, there were 51,000 casualties in a 4 square mile area (see photos). We actually visited the much appreciated air conditioned museum which is situated on the battlefield itself. It is incredibly laid out and very well presented. The tour starts with a powerful video, narrated ... read more

My knowledge about the American Civil War is patchy at best, so I thought it would be a good idea to visit the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg before I headed on to Gettysburg. The museum is associated with the Smithsonian Institute so I figured it would be a pretty good one. And it was. The museum is situated on a hill overlooking Harrisburg and as I arrived there a short time after it open at 10am, there was hardly anyone there. Inside, the museum is set out just the way I like a museum – with a clearly defined path to travel through all the exhibit rooms. No back-tracking required. The museum features lots of video, dioramas (which you must know by now that I love) and lots of items from the war. It’s ... read more

Thanks to the tech support guy at Garmin, the drive to Artillery Ridge Campground in Gettysburg PA took me over the route I had imported from MapQuest. Clouds lingered, and there were some brief light sprinkles as I drove but nothing to amount to much. Set-up was uneventful, and the staff at the Artillery Ridge Campground recommended a nice restaurant – Gettysburg Eddie’s. Edward Stewart Plank (Gettysburg Eddie - 1875-1926) was the first left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball to win 200 games, subsequently first to win 300; now ranks third in all-time wins among left-handers with 326 (eleventh among all pitchers); and stands first all-time in career shutouts by a left-handed pitcher with 66. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. How is it that I had not heard of him? ... read more