Gettysburg Foundation Hosts the 24th Annual Remembrance Day Illumination

Nov 4, 2026

Commemoration at Gettysburg National Cemetery Includes Luminary Candles and Readings of Civil War Soldiers’ Names.

Gettysburg Foundation will host the 24th Annual Remembrance Day Illumination Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Gettysburg National Cemetery. Free and open to the public, the annual commemoration features a luminary candle on each of the 3,512 Civil War soldiers’ graves, while volunteers read aloud the names of the fallen throughout the evening.

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, 5:30–9:30 p.m.

WHERE: Gettysburg National Cemetery, Gettysburg, Pa. — Entrances at Taneytown Road and Baltimore Street.

DETAILS: Remembrance Day Illumination commemorates the dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery on Nov. 19, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. More than 160 years later, the annual event offers an opportunity to remember the soldiers who lost their lives during the Battle of Gettysburg and reflect on Lincoln’s call for the nation to carry forward the work of those who sacrificed. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, the Illumination invites reflection on the importance of remembering these soldiers and preserving their stories for future generations.

LUMINARY CANDLE SPONSORSHIPS: The public is invited to sponsor luminary candles in honor or memory of a loved one through Nov. 6.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION: Volunteers are needed to help set up luminaries and assist with cleanup following the event. Assignments are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For information, contact Gettysburg Foundation at Friends@GettysburgFoundation.org or 717-339-2163.

“The Illumination is a solemn time to gather at Gettysburg National Cemetery and reflect on the human cost of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War. As each candle is placed and each name is read aloud, the magnitude of the loss becomes personal. The quiet act of remembering each fallen soldier offers a moment to reflect on lives cut short and families forever changed by the events that unfolded here,” said Barbara Sardella, interim president and CEO of Gettysburg Foundation.

Gettysburg Foundation partners with the National Park Service to support preservation and education at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site, helping connect visitors with the history and enduring significance of these places.

The event is dependent on favorable weather conditions. Updates will be posted at GettysburgFoundation.org and Gettysburg Foundation’s social media channels if plans change.

National Park Service Site Seeks Public Feedback on Trails Plan

Proposed trail network would expand access and connections at Gettysburg and Eisenhower parks

News Release Date: November 2, 2026
Contact: gett_public_affairs@nps.gov

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The National Park Service is seeking public comment on a proposed Trails Plan and Environmental Assessment for Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site that would improve visitor safety, accessibility and connectivity while providing additional opportunities to experience the parks’ historic landscapes.

The proposed plan would establish a 48.27-mile network of designated public-use trails across both parks, including approximately 13.3 miles of additional pedestrian trails and three miles of bicycle trails. The plan also identifies opportunities to improve connections with surrounding communities while protecting the parks' significant cultural and natural resources. Trail improvements would be implemented in phases as funding becomes available and necessary environmental and historic preservation compliance is conducted.

Public Comment Period
The public is encouraged to review the Environmental Assessment and submit comments during the 30-day comment period (Nov. 2 through Dec. 2, 2026) via the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/.

No public meeting is scheduled. Information about the plan and public comment opportunity will also be shared through the park website: www.nps.gov/gett. Public comments will help inform the National Park Service's final decision on the proposed plan.

About the Parks
Gettysburg National Military Park preserves and protects the resources associated with the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath. Eisenhower National Historic Site preserves the home and farm of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and provides opportunities to explore his life and legacy.

nps.gov 

Gettysburg Foundation Offers Free Admission to Veterans on Veterans Day

Gettysburg Foundation Offers Free Admission to Veterans on Veterans Day

Nov. 11, 2026

 Gettysburg, Pa. (Oct. 27, 2026) — Gettysburg Foundation invites U.S. military veterans to visit the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, for free admission to the Film, Cyclorama & Museum Experience. The annual Veterans Appreciation Day offer recognizes veterans’ service and provides an opportunity to explore Gettysburg’s history and lasting significance.

  Veterans should present proof of military service to receive free admission and are encouraged to arrive early. The final Film, Cyclorama & Museum Experience begins at 4:15 p.m.

  The experience begins with A New Birth of Freedom, a film exploring the Battle of Gettysburg and its significance, followed by the dramatic light-and-sound presentation of the Gettysburg Cyclorama, depicting Pickett’s Charge. Visitors can then explore the 12-gallery Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War, where artifacts and interpretive exhibits illuminate the experiences of Civil War soldiers and the significance of the conflict.

  Veterans and their families and guests are welcome to visit the National Park Service Information Desk for park information and maps of Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site. The Friends of Gettysburg Desk inside the Museum & Visitor Center offers information about membership and volunteer opportunities and Gettysburg Foundation’s work in support of preservation and education in partnership with the National Park Service.

  “As we mark Veterans Day, we are grateful to the men and women who have served our country. Gettysburg offers a meaningful place to reflect on the experiences of those who served before us and the enduring responsibilities we share in preserving their stories for future generations,” said Barbara Sardella interim president and CEO of Gettysburg Foundation.

  Active-duty U.S. military service members also receive free admission to the Film, Cyclorama & Museum Experience throughout the year.

  More information about visiting the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center is available at GettysburgFoundation.org.

Military Honor on Trial: The Saga of Joseph Hooker and George H. Derby

A newly published historical work, Military Honor on Trial: The Saga of Joseph Hooker and George H. Derby uncovers a critical prelude to the Civil War—revealing how an explosive antebellum feud in frontier California forged the personal animosities that later disrupted Union high command.

Long before he took command of the Army of the Potomac before Chancellorsville, Major General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker was involved in a high-stakes conflict during the Gold Rush in California. Charged with army profiteering while locked in a bitter dispute with fellow officer and famous humorist Lt. George H. Derby, Hooker was ultimately court martialed.

Serving as the trial's judge advocate was Henry W. Halleck—the man who would eventually become General-in-Chief of the Union Army. The intense personal hostility that arose during this trial created a rift between Hooker and Halleck. This rift had direct consequences on the battlefields of the Civil War. Hooker’s combative personality also led to serious conflicts with McClellan, Burnside, Sherman, and Stanton. This raises a key question: how much did his personality impact his performance?

Military Honor on Trial offers essential context for Civil War historians and enthusiasts by examining:

The Pre-War Roots of Civil War Factionalism: How antebellum rivalries, personal honor disputes, and officer corps politics directly shaped the temperaments and strategic choices of future wartime leaders.

The Hooker-Halleck Feud: The origins of the toxic relationship between two of the Union’s most prominent generals. It sheds light on high-command friction ahead of Chancellorsville and the Atlanta campaign.

19th-Century Military Justice: A rare look at how the military court system operated on the frontier and how it affected officer careers on the eve of national conflict.

US Mint to Release Gettysburg Address Quarter on October 21

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – On Oct. 21, 2026, Gettysburg National Military Park, in partnership with the United States Mint and the Gettysburg Foundation, will host a public ceremony at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center at 11 a.m. to celebrate the release of the Gettysburg Address Quarter as part of the nation's 250th anniversary commemoration.

The event will feature remarks by U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, U.S. Mint Director Paul Hollis, Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendent Stephanie Stephens, and Gettysburg Foundation Acting President Barbara Sardella.

The ceremony will also include a Civil War-era brass band performance and a ceremonial coin pour into a reproduction black stove-pipe hat, similar to the famous hat President Abraham Lincoln was fond of wearing. Following the ceremony, the United States Mint will distribute free Gettysburg Address quarters in commemorative coin boards. Adams County National Bank will coordinate the on-site public coin exchange at the Museum and Visitor Center. The event is free and open to the public.

www.nps.gov

Sacrifice on Seminary Ridge exhibit brings hospital stories to life

From Gettysburg Connections
October 4, 2026 by Community Contributors

Special exhibition created with Military Images Magazine opens Oct. 9 at Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center.

Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center and Military Images (MI) have partnered to present Sacrifice on Seminary Ridge, a special exhibition using wartime portraits and personal accounts to tell the stories of the patients, surgeons, and nurses whose lives intersected within the walls of the Lutheran Theological Seminary during and after the Battle of Gettysburg.

The exhibition will open with a public unveiling reception at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center, 111 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg. The reception is free, but advance registration is required through the museum’s events calendar.

Some of the individuals featured in the exhibition fought in the desperate struggle around the Seminary on July 1, 1863, and entered the building grievously wounded after it was transformed into a hospital. Others worked amid overwhelming suffering to care for them. Together, their portraits and accounts offer an intimate view of the human cost of the battle and the extraordinary efforts made within the building’s walls.

“Visitors to the Museum regularly encounter the larger story of the Seminary’s role in the battle and its aftermath,” said Rob Williams, director of outreach of Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center. “This exhibit allows them to meet the individuals who lived that history. Their faces and experiences bring a deeply personal perspective to the sacrifice, suffering, and care that defined the Seminary hospital experience.”

The exhibition grew from a collaboration between Seminary Ridge Museum and Military Images, a publication dedicated to preserving and sharing historic photographs of American soldiers and sailors. Paul Russinoff, an MI senior editor and member of the Museum’s board, originated the idea and played a key role in making it a reality.

“This important collaboration between the collecting community and the Seminary Ridge Museum lets visitors look into the faces, and hear the stories of individual soldiers, surgeons and nurses who inhabited the Seminary hospital in the aftermath of the battle and features period photographs, many being exhibited for the first time,” said Russinoff.

The exhibit, sponsored by Fleischer’s Auctions, also demonstrates the power of the Civil War portrait collecting community. Images were generously shared by Scott Hann, Scott Hilts, Charles T. Joyce, Jeff Kowalis, Jason and Mark Krausz, C. Paul Loane, Faye and Ed Max, Robert May, Ronn Palm, Jim Rivest, Paul Russinoff, Brian White, and Ronald S. Coddington, with assistance from Dale R. Niesen. Additional portraits came from the Adams County Historical Society and The Liljenquist Family Collection at the Library of Congress. By bringing together these long-scattered faces, the community has allowed the soldier-patients, surgeons, and nurses of the Seminary hospital to stand together once more.

The Autumn 2026 issue of Military Images will feature two related articles: “Within These Walls,” a collection of portraits and accounts featured in the exhibit, and “In the Line of Fire,” an investigation of a memorable Mathew Brady photograph and what it reveals about the building and grounds in the battle’s aftermath.

Sacrifice on Seminary Ridge is exclusively sponsored by Fleischer’s Auctions. The exhibition will remain on view through Dec. 6 and will be included with general museum admission following the Oct. 9 unveiling.

For additional information or to register for the opening reception, visit the Seminary Ridge Museum website.

About Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center

Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center is located in historic Schmucker Hall on the campus of United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg. Through its exhibitions, programs, and historic spaces, the Museum explores the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the care of the wounded, and the moral, civic, and spiritual debates surrounding slavery and freedom.

A Day in the Life of a Civil War Surgeon - Sept 15 at 6pm - Parkland Library

Event by Parkland Community Library

4422 Walbert Avenue, Allentown, PA, 6:00pm

Dr. Donald Levick, a pediatrician in the Lehigh Valley for 40+ years and a Civil War Living Historian for 4+ years, will be presenting, “A day in the life of a Civil War Surgeon.” He will be portraying a fictitious Pennsylvania surgeon who served at Spangler Farm Field Hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863.

As a Civil War-era surgeon, Dr. Levick will discuss his medical education and training, his assignment as a front-line assistant surgeon at Bull Run, and his experiences as an operating surgeon during and after the Battle of Gettysburg. Reproductions of the equipment and instruments used during that time will be displayed and demonstrated. The evolution of battlefield medicine and its impact on today’s trauma and emergency medical practices will also be discussed.

Interested in Becoming a Reenactor? Living-history opportunity

The Army of the Rappahannock Reenactors Association is looking for people who would like to take their interest in Civil War history into living-history participation. They connect interested people with independent Union Civil War reenacting units in New York and eastern Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania options include the developing 104th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and the 69th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which is developing an active company. ARRA can help people choose based on location, travel range and interests.

People can ask about infantry, civilian participation or other historical interests, and they can help them explore a suitable next step. Newcomers should ask about loaner clothing and equipment before buying gear; availability and participation requirements are confirmed by the unit. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult who also actively reenacts.

The 69th PA is developing an active reenacting company in the Philadelphia and eastern Pennsylvania area. We welcome inquiries from people interested in infantry, civilian participation, and helping the unit grow.

The QR code leads to our interest form. Readers interested in the 69th can select that unit on the form, and I will coordinate their inquiry through ARRA. They are also welcome to contact me directly at npollock99@gmail.com.

Submitting the form starts a conversation and does not commit anyone to joining.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGiztLZfh7wvdSv--q4L7glhe-4rCDF-l23UEcW8eMjGFtzQ/viewform

Nick Pollock
Army of the Rappahannock Reenactors Association
npollock99@gmail.com
https://www.rappareenact.com/

Eisenhower NHS Hosts World War II Weekend that Commemorates USA's 250th

On the left a young man in full military uniform sits next to a large WWII era vehicle mounted gun while a young boy in a red shirt looks through the eyepiece. (NPS Photo)

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Experience history firsthand at Eisenhower National Historic Site during the 2026 World War II Weekend, taking place September 18-20. This year’s programs and activities will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States by exploring how the ideals of America’s founding inspired Americans and Allies during World War II. The weekend will feature a living history encampment, guest speakers, ranger-guided walking tours, family activities for visitors of all ages and more.

Programming begins the evening of Friday, September 18, and continues throughout the day on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20. For safety purposes, the grounds of Eisenhower National Historic Site will be closed to visitors on Friday, September 18 for the set-up of the living history camp. Event highlights include:

· Notable Guest Speakers and Historians: Katherine Carter, the curator of Sir Winston Churchill’s Chartwell home in England, will speak on Friday evening at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. Free tickets are required, see the park’s website for details. On Saturday and Sunday, speakers at Eisenhower NHS will cover a variety of topics that relate to the men and women of the World War II generation. A full list of speakers and topics is available on the park website. 

· Ranger-Guided Walking Tours of WWII Burials in Gettysburg National Cemetery: Park rangers will offer four guided-walking tours of Gettysburg National Cemetery that explore the stories of the 590 fallen WWII soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines buried there. The programs highlight individuals who fought and died at places such as Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. Programs take place Friday at 5 p.m.; Saturday at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.; and Sunday at 9 a.m. Programs will meet inside the Taneytown Road entrance to Gettysburg National Cemetery.

· WWII Era Living-History Camp at Eisenhower NHS: Visit American and Allied military units, as well as groups that depict life on the Homefront, to explore the people and stories of the Fight for Liberty during World War II. Park rangers will lead guided-walking tours of the living history camp throughout the weekend. Walking-tour programs include an immersive training exercise walk.

· Family Activities and Programs at Eisenhower NHS: Visit the Family Tent to pick up an activity booklet. Children who complete five activities can earn their own special World War II themed memento.

· Special Temporary Museum Exhibits: Visit the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center to see temporary exhibits from the Naval History and Heritage Command, U.S. Museum of the Navy and the National Museum of the Marine Corps. These exhibits explore the people, events and legacies that connect the American Revolution and World War II.

· Eisenhower Home Tours: Free tours of the only home that Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower owned are available on both Saturday and Sunday of World War II Weekend.

A full schedule of programs, maps and information on how to participate is available at www.nps.gov/eise.

How to visit Eisenhower NHS during World War II Weekend:

• Weather permitting, free on-site parking for passenger vehicles only will be available at Eisenhower National Historic Site in a farm field accessible from Emmitsburg Road, Business Route 15. For GPS, use 250 Eisenhower Farm Road.

• Eisenhower National Historic Site will have accessible parking on-site throughout the weekend.

• Bus groups must book shuttles from the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, located at 1195 Baltimore Pike. Visit the Gettysburg Foundation website or call 877-874-2478 to make reservations.

All National Park Service World War II Weekend programming is free of charge. Outdoor programs are weather dependent. This year marks the 28th year Eisenhower National Historic Site has hosted this event.

www.nps.gov

Gettysburg Film Festival: Remembering the Heroes of Flight 93

August 19, 2026 by Community Contributors

Join us in Gettysburg on September 12, 2026—one day after the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks—for an evening of remembrance and reflection. Panelists include CWRT’S Ed Root!

At the heart of this special program are the family members of the 40 heroes aboard United Airlines Flight 93, who will share their personal stories and memories in a moving conversation honoring their loved ones’ courage. We are honored to welcome the following family members as part of the program:

• Gordie Felt, brother of passenger Edward P. Felt

• Kenny Nacke, brother of passenger Louis Nacke II

• David Beamer, father of passenger Todd Beamer

• Debby Borza, mother of passenger Deora Bodley

• Ed Root, cousin of flight attendant Lorraine Bay

The evening will feature a special screening of Paul Greengrass’s award-winning film, United 93, as well as remarks from actor John Rothman who portrayed passenger Edward P. Felt in the film.

Presented as a feature event of the Gettysburg Film Festival, this program is a collaboration with the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial and will be held at the Majestic Theater (25 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg).

The program will be followed by a book signing with Tom McMillan, author of the award-winning book, Flight 93, and Justice for the Forgotten Families of 9/11.

Tickets are $25 and are available here. All proceeds will support the charitable missions of the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial and Gettysburg History.