Gettysburg Off The Beaten Path

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Trying to find out more information on this cemetery. If you know anything about this location I would like to know.

It had a mix of civil war area graves and more recent ones (2010). It seemed that there a stander marker for both the old ones as well as the newer ones. The new markers were nothing more then a little name place stuck in the ground. It did seem that some had better head stones that were erected by friends or family later.

GPS coordinates:
N 39o 50.684'
W 077o 13.640'

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Part of the Lincoln Highway which runs through 14 states cost to cost. Adams county has 10 road side art pieces worth looking at. Information can be found here. Two also resided in Gettysburg. One is a mural on the Gettysburg Shopping Center which I seemed to have missed. The other is the Vintage Gas pump. There are a total of 22 vintage (1940-ish) gas pumps that were painted by PA artist and I happened on one by accident while looking for something else. Still I was happy to have found it.

GPS coordinates:
N 39o 50.118'
W 077o 14.752'

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Back in 2009 I spent the better part of a day trying to find this location based on word of mouth and a few hand written directions needless to say I was unable to find it. Which is why I mad it my goal to find it when I came back. Needless to say I did.

The location is difficult to find mainly because it is hidden away in a residential location. However, if you do venture out to find it you will be treated to a monument dedicated to the 154th NY Infantry
as well as a mural done by Mark H. Dunk depicting the battle that went on at this location. To be honest seeing the mural was the main reason I wanted to find this location. I was surprised at just how well the mural has held up considering its age. The Gettysburg Daily did a picture spread on this location back in 2008 depicting a plaque that I did not see with information on the artist. Well worth taking the time to look at.

GPS coordinates:
N 39o 50.111'
W 077o 13.668'

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The Evergreen Cemetery is a private cemetery that was located on Cemetery Hill before the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. It was established in 1854 when a group of local residents headed by attorney David McConaughy bought land on Raffensperger's Hill south of Gettysburg along the Baltimore Pike for a community cemetery. The large brick gatehouse was constructed in the late 1850's. During the Battle of Gettysburg, the hill was a key position for the Union Army. As a consequence, the cemetery and its gatehouse suffered damage from incoming artillery shells, as well as from the thousands of men and horses who tramped through it during and after the fighting. The Soldiers' National Cemetery was established immediately west of it after the battle. Although today the Soldiers' National Cemetery is closed to new burials, the Evergreen Cemetery is still active and plots may be purchased.

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South of the Pitzer Woods Stop #6 on the self-guided auto tour, there is an observation tower named after GEN Longstreet. It is one of the last three remaining U. S. War Department-era observation towers and offers the visitor a panoramic view of the battlefield. Originally, there were five towers constructed on the battlefield but this is the only one built on West Confederate Avenue. From the observation deck, one can appreciate the distance that Longstreet's Confederates had to cross to reach the Union positions at Little Round Top, the Wheatfield and in the Peach Orchard. See also a videoclip.

The tower was the last major structure to be placed on West Confederate Avenue, which was also laid out and paved by the U. S. War Department at the turn of the century. William Robbins, a Confederate veteran of the battle and one of the first battlefield commissioners, promoted the avenue so that Confederate artillery and infantry positions could be marked. Robbins worked with original reports and documents while relying on eyewitness testimony from visiting veterans to compose the tablets. This portion of West Confederate between Millerstown Road and the Emmitsburg Road is lined with numerous Confederate battery positions as well as several state memorials and brigade markers.

The tower also overlooks the farm that is today Eisenhower National Historic Site, the retirement home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The farm buildings used by GEN Longstreet as a temporary headquarters stood on the Eisenhower property, but they no longer exist. I did a pass on climbing all those stairs but it would have been a great view. The nearby marker says Dwight D. Eisenhower was General of the Army and the 34th President of the United States. He loved history and bought the 189-acre farm in 1950. After his election in 1952, the farm became his retreat and he even met world leaders informally there. He retired to the farm in 1961 and lived there until his death in 1969. First Lady Mamie lived there until her death in 1979. Since 1980, the farm has been managed by the National Park Service. Admission to the farm is by shuttle bus only. The buses depart regularly from the Museum and Visitors' Center.

As we drove along the back roads and throughout Gettysburg's military park, we came across hillsides filled with Black-eyed Susans. Clusters and clusters of these deep yellow flowers seemed to grow everywhere, creating lovely waves of color.

Finally, I asked Jim to stop the car so I could jump out to photograph these pretty posies. Black-eyed Susans seem to do best in country settings, but some people can grow them in their gardens. I've never had success growing them.

When I see these flowers, I never fail to think of walks we took as children which carried us along an abandoned trolley line, passed farms and apple orchards where Black-eyed Susans cropped up near our path here and there.

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Sachs covered bridge. Built in 1852, part of the confederate army of Northern Virginia began its retreat to Virginia by crossing the bridge after the battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863. In 1968 Pennsylvania highway department determined that the bridge was the most historic covered bridge in the state and closed it to traffic. Floodwaters swept it from its abutments in 1996. Adams County rehabilitated the bridge by supporting its trusses with steel beams and by raising it three feet.

If you are looking for a nice photo opportunity, or just happen to like covered bridges this is a must see. The out side of the bridges is in immaculate condition however, the inside has been vandalized over the years. Even with the interior as it is this is still a great site for those who can find it.

Directions on how to find:
Take either Steinwehr Ave. or West Confederate Ave. South then turn onto Millerstown Rd. which will become Pumping Station road right before you cross a larger bridge (I think there is at least on smaller one to go over first) Sachs bridge should be visible to your left while you are crossing the bridge. Once over the bridge look for the Parks marker on the left side of the road for Sachs covered bridge. (see pictures) Turn left onto Waterworks Rd. and you are there.

GPS coordinates
N 39o 47.830'
W 077o 16.598'

There is a cemetery for the black soldiers of the civil war that is separate from the national cemetery. It is a stark contrast to the national cemetery and is testament to the segregation that was going on at that time. It is located inside the city of Gettysburg and can be located by asking a tour guide.