The Shirver's and Tillie Pierce- Civilians During the Battlle of Gettysburg

When we visited the Shriver House in Gettysburg, I picked up a couple of books that really go together...  though they were written nearly 130 years apart!

"At Gettysburg or What a Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle" by Tillie Pierce Alleman is available in the Shriver House gift shop as a 2015 reprint (the copyright date is 1889).  It is a very nice, smaller hardcover edition that feels very vintage.  The pages are smaller, and this one could be read in a short setting.  It would also be a very nice gift for a younger reader interested in Gettysburg (but one that can handle reading about the details of war).

Nancie W. Gudmestad (director of the Shriver House Museum AND author of the other book I will be mentioning) writes a short intro to this edition.  It helps set things up, while not taking away from the story Tillie covers.

AND Tillie tells a great tale.  It is a very valuable and rare first hand account of what a young resident of Gettysburg saw.  She has a ring side seat.

You should read her story yourself, but I personally enjoyed reading about her emotions as she observed, and tried to help the injured soldiers.  There are some extremely personal interactions as she contributes to the Union cause.  I especially liked reading about a soldier who her family helped coming back many years later to say hello.  This is a sweet book.

Oh, and for those who enjoy some mysteries/disputed facts about the battle, Tillie gives her first hand story about the death of a major player in the battle.  It differs from the generally accepted facts.

The other book I bought at the Shriver House is "The Shriver's Story:  Eyewitnesses to the Battle of Gettysburg" by the previously mentioned Nancie W. Gudmestad.  This is the more recently written book, and it mostly covers the Shriver family's story.  They lived next door to Tillie's family in 1863, and they invited Tillie to leave the main town area of Gettysburg with them, as it seemed the fighting was happening right in town.  Well, once they left town and went to a family farm (between Little Round Top and Big Round Top) they found that they had moved right into the heart of the fighting.

The family is literally running around the Battlefield at times.  They help the soldiers as much as they can.  AND their vacated house ends up hosting Confederate sharpshooters (and at least a couple end up getting killed in their attic).

These are both interesting books from a unique perspective.  They are especially fun to read after visiting the Shriver House in Gettysburg!

Shriver House- Gettysburg Pennsylvania

We walked in to the Shriver House to take a tour while on our trip.  We entered, and bought tickets, then explored the gift shop as we waited for our tour to begin.

While looking at books, the lady who would end up being our tour guide asked me about our plans for the evening.  I thought she was being polite, and just chatting.  Anyway, as we talked, she told me about the Licensed Battlefield Tour Guides program going on in town right now.

She told me that each evening at 6, a guide volunteered their time to do a free group tour at the Cemetery, which would end at the time that Taps would be played each evening at 7.  I was glad she told me (we ended up going- more on that later), and I thought it was sweet that she brought this up.  Obviously, at the Shriver House, they care about being good ambassadors for the community.

Our tour started not long after that.  It was less than $20 for the two of us to go through.  We both agreed that this was a great tour, and I would rank it among the "Must Dos" on any trip to Gettysburg.

Not to spoil the story, but the house was used by Confederates during the Battle.  Sharpshooters shot from the attic, and from witness accounts, at least a couple were shot and killed in the attic.


The house is set up the way it may have looked right after the battle.  The kitchen is a total mess.  Guns are near where the sharpshooters were.

Our amazing tour guide talked at length about living in 1863.  We had some young children on the tour with us, and it was fun seeing her tell them about chamber pots, and other inconveniences of the day.

Grave Digger Tours- Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

I have mixed feelings these days about taking traditional "ghost" tours when we visit an area.  We have been on some fun, and interesting ones.  We have been on ones that I have found out later were pretty much total myth.  They are hit or miss.

AND, as I get older, I am just more skeptical in general.  I still love a good ghost story.  AND I appreciate any odd story involving terror and fear.... but hearing about psychics seeing orbs.....  that just doesn't impress me.

WELL, I discovered that there is one tour company in Gettysburg that does kind of an anti-ghost tour.  I would definitely call it a dark tour....  with some frights, but it is not a ghost tour!

We arrived around 8:15 to the Great T-Shirt Company, where "Grave Digger Tours" is based out of.  Our tour was to go out at 8:30.  Another couple had bought tickets for the 8:30 tour too, but our guide explained that we would leave on time.  She said that they could catch up , and she would go back and give them the part of the tour they missed later!  I thought that was kind, and a good use of time!

Patty was our guide and she was informative, and a lot of fun!  AND, she told a lot of DARK, SCARY stories!

The tour focused on how the town handled the dead after the battle.  There were many stops at sites where she talked about fighting, death, graves, contamination, amputations, etc.  Patty showed numerous photos relating to ALL of the topics I just mentioned.

She pointed out damage done from the battle- showing us bullet scars on walls.  She took us to the grave site of a local involved in the burials.

A LOT of ground is cover, and LOTS of stories are told.  The corpse of the sharpshooter from Devils Den- who somehow appears in multiple pictures, the remains of the soldier discovered in 1996, and other strange stories came up!

If you are going to do a late night tour in Gettysburg, let me suggest this one!  It is creepy and fact based!  Patty and Grave Digger Tours get my highest possible recommendation!

Gettysburg Railroad Station Pennsylvania

One more small site also managed by the National Parks that we neglected before was the Gettysburg Railroad Depot.

The railroad station is just off the main diamond area, a few steps away from the Majestic Theater, and Gettysburg Hotel.  It is small, and you can really explore the whole place in under half an hour.

It is mostly notable as the station that President Lincoln used when he came to and left Gettysburg to give the Gettysburg Address.

David Wills House- Gettysburg Pennsylvania

ANOTHER stop we tried to get to but simply didn't make it on our first trip to Gettysburg was the David Wills House.

Thinking about it, that's kind of unforgivable on my part.  I think the Wills House should be a must stop on any first Gettysburg trip.  This is arguably the most significant building in town.

I say that carefully, because its importance sprouted up after the battle.

Attorney David Wills was responsible for setting up the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg after the battle.  AND, President Lincoln hung out at his place while in town, finishing up the Gettysburg Address there!

The National Park Service runs the place now.  There is a short film, and several displays.  The main attraction is the area (and bed!) where Honest Abe spent the night in the house!

You can thoroughly explore the house/museum in under an hour pretty easily....  so there is no excuse for passing it up.

Battlefield Brew Works in Gettysburg Pennsylvania

I had heard about Battlefield Brew Works shortly after our last visit to town, and I knew we needed to visit this place!

Like many sites on this trip, Battlefield Brew Works is in a building used as a Confederate hospital during the battle.  According to their website, over 1,300 Confederates were brought here!


The building itself still feels very rustic.  There have been updates, as needed, but the place still feels very barnlike and old.

The old battlefield hospital is now a site where beer is made, and food served.  Obviously this is a great setting for food and drink while in Gettysburg.  We had a couple of nice sandwiches on the day we visited.  We enjoyed them inside of the very casual historic environment.

Majestic Theater- Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

ANOTHER thing we missed last time was a trip to see a movie at the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg.  I thought it might be nice to take in a film here mostly because President Eisenhower spent time here when he was in town!

Anyway, we took in a quick movie one evening.  We only were able to see one small movie theater area, which was roomy and comfortable.  There is a nice snack area in the front.  They show mostly the independent artsy type films, and only a couple at a time. 

The evening we visited we saw the newer film, Beatriz at Dinner.  I would not recommend this movie.

BUT, we were really here to enjoy the theater, and that we did!

Gettysburg Diorama- Gettysburg Pennsylvania

The Gettysburg Diorama was something that we simply did not make it to the first time around.

So, on this visit, I made sure that we saw it.

It seems that they do shows every half hour or so, and when I got there, the next show was in 20 minutes.  I bought my ticket (I think it was around $9-10, and included admission to a haunted house type attraction).  They have a very well stocked gift shop that I looked through during that time, and there are several other small, glassed in diorama displays to look at while you wait.

The main diorama is HO scale, and in the lobby, the dioramas are of various sizes.

An announcement was made after the 20 minutes ended, and I went into the main diorama area. 

Behind the main attraction HO scale Gettysburg, there are even more cases of dioramas and other Civil War related items.

You are given a good amount of time to look at these, and to get a close up look at the main diorama before they announce that the show will start.

The show reminded me a lot of the "show" at the Cyclorama, or at Roadside America also in Pennsylvania.  A narrator talks about the battle, whats going on where, etc.  Lights are used to help with the whole story.  It was very interesting, and it is a great way to sort of get the whole battle and area.

After seeing the show, I went to see the "Spirits of Gettysburg" which is in the same building but down some stairs.  This attraction features the "ghosts" of various characters from Gettysburg telling their stories using video, mirrors, and animatronics.

You go into a room and listen to the spirit explain their situation.  Various things move about the room in a very Disneyish way.  There are red and green lights used to direct you to the next room at the end of each presentation.

This is a weird and interesting exhibit/show, and I am glad that I did it, and that it was included with the diorama. AND, not to give anything away, BUT.... you probably won't make it out alive!  This was a fun thing to do on its own.

Gettysburg Miniature Soldiers- Pennsylvania

Gettysburg Miniature Soldiers was another place we visited last time that I was excited to get back to this time around.

I took a lot of photos of their old Marx playset boxes, but I realized I didn't get any photos of their stocked store!

On this visit, I looked through bags and bags of mostly Civil War soldiers, unpainted.  I personally love painting 2 inch tall Civil War soldiers, and I have been painting them for years.  Finding a shop that has the small figures in poses I haven't seen before is rare.... but this place is a rare shop for hobbyists.

I found about 4 bags of soldiers to paint, and went to pay for them.  As I talked to the friendly fellow running the shop, he mentioned that there were many more bags in a back room that was set up for war gaming.  I went in the back and found more packs of soldiers that were older, but new to me.  I greedily scooped them up and bought them, looking forward to painting these new discoveries back home.

I probably have enough toy soldiers now that I won't need to buy another for several years...

If you enjoy toy soldiers at all, make sure you take a moment to swing by Gettysburg Miniature Soldiers.