Gettysburg Black History Trail 2025/2026

Expiration: Jun 5th 2026

The Gettysburg Black History Trail brings together the people, places and stories of a determined but often overlooked community. When the Civil War came crashing through this small town in 1863, their survival, dignity and freedom were at stake.
The history of the most significant military battle ever fought on U.S. soil cannot be told without the vital stories of Gettysburg’s Black community. Learn about Gettysburg’s Black heritage before, during and after the battle as you explore at your own pace. Check in at each stop and challenge yourself to complete the entire trail.

As you embark on this special journey, think of this trail as your passport to Black history in Gettysburg and Adams County, Pennsylvania.

Included Venues

See locations on an interactive map.

Site of the Franklin Street Colored School

The schoolhouse on Franklin Street (no longer standing) was the only building in Gettysburg specifically dedicated to educating Black children. Following Pennsylvania's 1834 mandate for public education, citizens of Gettysburg selected six school directors, including civil rights advocate Thaddeus Stevens. From 1834 to 1884, classes were held in various spaces within the Black community, including the AME and AME Zion Churches. Lloyd F. A. Watts, a Civil War veteran, taught for 16 years before the Franklin Street School was built in 1883. In 1884, Sallie Myers Stewart became the first teacher of the new school, which operated until full integration in the 1930s.

Site of Agriculture Hall

Built in 1867–1868 as part of the Adams County Agricultural Society’s fairgrounds, the Agricultural Hall hosted civic events before being converted into apartments and factories after the fairgrounds were sold in 1886. Located in Gettysburg’s historic Third Ward, it was demolished in 1991. On January 25, 1869, Frederick Douglass delivered a speech about William the Silent to the largest audience ever gathered there, marking a significant moment for the local Black community.

Thad's Place: Home of the Thaddeus Stevens Society Museum

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Thad's Place tells the story of Thaddeus Stevens, one of the most important politicians during and after the Civil War. He helped persuade Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation; he was instrumental in the passage of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery; he is the father of the 14th Amendment requiring equal treatment under the law and extending civil liberties to the state level; and he spearheaded the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. Gettysburg’s newest museum, it is the first stand-alone museum dedicated to Stevens and features the Thaddeus Stevens Society’s extensive collection of artifacts including his letters, period newspapers and stoves made at iron mills owned by Stevens. Hundreds of Stevens’ books and documents are also available for research. Admission is free; voluntary donations are encouraged.

St. Paul AME Zion Church

St. Paul AME Zion Church is the oldest African American congregation in Gettysburg, founded in 1838. In order to worship and serve God as they wished, approximately 40 African American members of the Gettysburg Methodist Church broke away in 1840 to form Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the precursor to St. Paul’s. The church’s original wood-framed structure was located on the corner of Long Lane and Breckenridge Street. Another similar structure later stood to the left of the present-day building. In 1864-65, several church members joined the newly formed United States Colored Troops (USCT), a commitment to military service many congregation members continue to make. As Gettysburg’s African American community grew, so did the church’s following. In 1878, trustees raised funds and purchased this Washington Street property. This would mark its third location, with St. Paul AME Zion Church built in 1917 as you see it today.

Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center

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Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center shares the experiences of Black men and women who lived in Adams County around the time of the Civil War. Learn about the anti-slavery movement and the Underground Railroad network in south-central Pennsylvania. Discover the story of Daniel Alexander Payne, a teacher from Charleston, South Carolina, who attended the Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg between 1835 and 1837 and later became a leader in the AME Church. Through an interactive digital list, explore the stories of local men who joined the United States Colored Troops (USCT) during the Civil War to fight for their freedom. These stories, and more, occurred in a building that has stood sentinel on this quiet ridge, west of Gettysburg, for more than 190 years. Museum Admission and Cupola Tour tickets may be purchased at the Museum's Admissions Desk.

Lincoln Cemetery

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Open Saturday and Sunday, Dawn to Dusk. Lincoln Cemetery was established in 1867 by the Sons of Good Will. Among the cemetery’s founding officers were important local figures such as Lloyd F.A. Watts, Basil Biggs, and Owen Robinson. Over the next century and a half, more than 450 community members were laid to rest within the cemetery's boundaries. Visitors walk among Gettysburg’s Black Community leaders who called Gettysburg home. Here lies Gettysburg’s U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) and other war veterans who served their country from the Spanish American, WWI, WWll and Korean Wars. Today, more than half of these graves are marked. Since 1999, the Lincoln Cemetery Project Association has cared for the cemetery, overseeing significant rehabilitation and restoration. Under the longtime leadership of Mrs. Betty Dorsey Myers, great progress was made. Yet, important work continues: to protect and preserve the only concrete evidence that there was a thriving Black Community in Gettysburg. Entrance is free to the cemetery grounds on Saturday and Sunday. Please show respect while visiting.

James Warfield House

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During the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 this small, one-and-a-half story tall, two-room stone farmhouse belonged to James Warfield, his wife Eliza, and their family. Purchased within a year of the battle, Warfield operated a successful blacksmith shop in Adams County. Like many members of Gettysburg’s Black community, as the Confederate Army approached, they fled, fearful of capture. Confederate troops occupied the Warfield property on the afternoon of July 2, 1863, and launched attacks against Union troops occupying the nearby Sherfy peach orchard. Opposing artillery, less than 500 yards apart, filled the air with a storm of shot and shell. After the battle, the Warfields returned to find their property damaged, and their belongings taken by the two armies. James Warfield calculated his losses at $516 for which he received a portion in compensation. This building is not open, but you are welcome to visit the site at no charge.

Jack and Julia Hopkins House

John Hopkins, an African American born in Maryland, lived here from 1851 until his death at the age of 62. His wife, Julia, continued to live here until she passed away in 1891. Hopkins was employed at Pennsylvania College, now Gettysburg College. Known as “Jack the Janitor,” he was immensely popular, as noted when the entire student body, faculty, and staff attended his funeral in 1868. Like most of the approximately 185 Black residents of the town in 1863, it is believed the Hopkins family fled prior to the Battle of Gettysburg to avoid capture by Confederates. The experience may have motivated Jack’s son, John Edward, to join the United States Colored Troops (USCT) shortly after the battle where he served until the end of the war. Both John Edward Hopkins and his mother Julia are buried at nearby Lincoln Cemetery. Jack was buried in the York Street "Colored Cemetery," now the site of a private residence, where his remains are likely still interred. Jack and Julia Hopkins House is not open, but you are welcome to visit the site at no charge.

Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center

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This museum and visitor center is home to the Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War. Begin your visit to Gettysburg here and discover artifacts, works of art, documents and historical information, as you explore Black history of the American Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg. Connect to the stories of the people and events of the era through museum galleries with exhibits featuring these Black history topics:

• Slavery in America Prior to the American Civil War
• John Brown’s Raid (October 1859)
• The Underground Railroad
• The Emancipation Proclamation
• Gettysburg’s Black Civilians
• Service of the United States Colored Troops (USCT)
• Reconstruction and the Road to Civil Rights

Tickets may be purchased online or at museum entrance.

Gettysburg National Cemetery

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Open Daily, Dawn to Dusk.This is the final resting place for over 3,500 United States soldiers who lost their lives at the Battle of Gettysburg, as well as 3,307 post Civil-War United States soldiers and veterans. The cemetery is famous throughout the world as the site of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, delivered at the cemetery’s dedication ceremony four-and-a-half months after the battle. The National Cemetery was created in part through the efforts of Gettysburg’s Black community. A number of African American men assisted with the exhumation process and reburial of the Union dead into the new cemetery. Black servicemen, from the Civil War to the Vietnam Conflict, are laid to rest within the historic grounds. Entrance is free to the cemetery grounds. Please show respect while visiting.

Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station™

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Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station™

One of Gettysburg’s most iconic and historic buildings, this landmark was a vital freight, travel and communication hub, serving passengers for 83 years. When you explore Gettysburg’s historic railroad station—now a history and visitor information stop—learn how the station became the Battle of Gettysburg first field hospital, a center for medical supplies and food, and transportation for wounded and dead soldiers. Discover stories of numerous African Americans who passed through the station where U.S. history was made, such as:

William Johnson, President Lincoln’s personal valet, accompanied President Lincoln here.
Black laborers retrieved delivered coffins and transported them to the battlefield for reinterment of Union dead to the national cemetery.
Black laborers brought soldiers’ remains to the depot for transport home—offering grieving families some closure.
Basil Biggs, a prominent member of Gettysburg’s African American community, played a leading role in the national cemetery’s creation, overseeing the Union dead’s reinterment, and helping transport coffins and remains through the station.
Black passengers came through this station to reflect, remember and connect with Gettysburg’s legacy throughout the postwar decades.

Explore the station and plan your visit. Docents and historians highlight the station’s history and connections to Gettysburg’s historical African American community.

Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum

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Here, human-interest stories of Gettysburg civilians before, during, and after the battle are found at the nation's Best New Museum, according to readers of “USA Today”. Black history-related exhibits feature Sidney O'Brian, enslaved by the town's founder, James Gettys; Mag Palm, a washerwoman who fought off slave catchers in 1858 and took them to court; Basil Biggs, who buried the dead in Gettysburg's National Cemetery, and local heroes Joseph Williams (WWI), and Adam Myers (WWII). Myers also championed integration of the town's businesses in the 1950s and 60s. A special Black history gallery in the lobby - free to all visitors - expands on these stories, and more, with remarkable artifacts and images provided by descendants of these individuals. Tickets may be purchased upon entry. The Black history lobby exhibit is free.

Abraham Brian Farm

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Abraham Brian was born in Maryland in 1804, moved to Gettysburg around 1840, and purchased this small house and 12 acres here in 1857. Brian, his wife Elizabeth, and their five children were not living in the house at the time of the battle. As members of the local African American community, the family left the Gettysburg area upon news of the Confederate invasion. After the battle, they found the house and barn had been damaged by artillery and small arms fire. Brian submitted a claim to the government for $575 but damages caused by the battle were not covered. Brian only received $15 for the 1.5 tons of hay used by Federal cavalry to feed their horses. He repaired the damage himself and continued to farm until 1868 when he sold his farm. The family moved into the town of Gettysburg where he worked as hostler at a hotel. This building is not open, but you are welcome to visit the site at no charge.