ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. — A new self-guided tour in Gettysburg is highlighting the history and experiences of Black community members.
It's known as the Gettysburg Black History Trail, a project that's been brought together by several different organizations.
There are 11 locations on the trail meant to paint a picture of Gettysburg's Black heritage.
One of the locations is Lincoln Cemetery, which was a final resting spot for hundreds of Black citizens of Gettysburg and Adams County, including around 30 Civil War veterans.
But Jean Green, the President of the Lincoln Cemetery Project Association, shared it's a spot that is not widely known by the public.
"This cemetery is so precious to the Black community, mainly because it is the only concrete evidence that there was a Black community here in Gettysburg," Green said.
Gettysburg is rich with history, but this new project is meant to highlight what some say is "overlooked" past.
Destination Gettysburg President and CEO, Karl Pietrzak, explained, "We thought this would be a great idea to really tell some of the undiscovered stories here in the Gettysburg area."
Wayne Motts, President Emeritus and Historian of the Gettysburg Foundation, added, "So much of it has laid dormant and has not been discovered. So, we hope folks will take away this rich history, we also hope it will spur visitation here among new groups."
The tour allows you to check-in to any of the 11 locations you visit. All of the places have their own historical excerpt.
Andrew Dalton, Executive Director of the Adams County Historical Society, told us he hopes people will feel inspired.
"We're only 8 miles from the Mason-Dixon line, which during the Civil War period, was the line between freedom and slavery, so the courage just of living here, let alone having a business or being a teacher or being a leader in the community. It's just something we hope people will be inspired by," Dalton said.
"We hope this history will make personal connections to people that may not have thought about visiting Gettysburg and Adams County before," Motts said.
These are the 11 locations within the Gettysburg Black History Trail:
- Abraham Brian Farm, Hancock Avenue, Gettysburg National Military Park
- Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum, 625 Biglerville Road
- Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station: Ticket to the Past – Unforgettable Journeys, 35 Carlisle St.
- Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike
- Gettysburg National Cemetery, 97 Taneytown Road, Gettysburg National Military Park
- The Jack & Julia Hopkins House, 219 South Washington St.
- Lincoln Cemetery, intersection of Lincoln and Long lanes
- Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center, 111 Seminary Ridge
- St. Paul AME Zion Church, 269 South Washington St.
- Thad’s Place: Home of the Thaddeus Stevens Museum, 46 Chambersburg St.,
- James Warfield House, 60-114 Millerstown Road, Gettysburg National Military Park
Organizations responsible for the content on each highlighted site along the trail:
- Adams County Historical Society
- Gettysburg Foundation
- Gettysburg National Military Park
- Lincoln Cemetery Project Association
- Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation
- Thaddeus Stevens Society
Download the FOX43 app here.