Welcome to the Adams County Historical Society! Our brand new museum, Gettysburg Beyond the Battle, opens April 15, 2023. Here you will travel back in time to experience the stories of ordinary citizens caught in the crossfire of extraordinary moments.
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or lifelong history buff, the Adams County Historical Society will open your eyes to the civilian story–an exciting, new perspective on America’s most famous small town and the battle that changed the course of American history.
Our museum - Gettysburg Beyond the Battle - is Gettysburg's newest historical attraction, featuring thousands of rare artifacts and the latest technology to explore over three centuries of remarkable stories. Our main exhibit - Caught in the Crossfire - invites visitors to step inside a recreated Civil War-era home and experience the ordeal of Gettysburg's civilians up close through sights, sounds, and special effects.
The Adams County Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1888 to protect millions of historic records and artifacts significant to the history of Gettysburg and Adams County, Pennsylvania.
Capital Campaign Update: We have raised over $9.5 million toward our $10.5 million goal!
To learn more about supporting our brand new Museum & History Center campus, please click here.
Gettysburg National Cemetery is the final resting place of 1,624 World War veterans, making up 23% of the total graves there. Nearly 500 of those veterans died in combat, in such places we know all too well—Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Guadalcanal.
Take a virtual tour of the national cemetery and learn the stories of some of those heroes of World War II. Tara Wenzel, retired from the Department of Defense, will be your guide through the cemetery, bringing a new perspective on this sacred place in Gettysburg.
Following the Reconstruction Era and into the early 20th century, Devil's Den attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors. Enterprising photographers and clever local citizens alike left their mark on these early Gettysburg tourists.
In my years as an author, I’ve learned that some of the best stories are tucked away in community libraries, archives, and historical societies. Right here in Gettysburg, so many of these stories are held by the Adams County Historical Society.
