Shriver House Museum - The Civilian Experience

YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ON THE BATTLEFIELD

    . . . BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FAMILIES AND THEIR HOMES IN TOWN?

Dedicated to the civilian experience during the Battle of Gettysburg, the Shriver House Museum is situated in the heart of Gettysburg's historic district. The home of George and Hettie Shriver and their daughters, Sadie (7) and Mollie (5), appears much the way it did when it was built in 1860, just Months before the Civil War began. Today, guides in period dress recount the harrowing story of the Shriver family's experiences during the battle and the lasting effects it had on their lives.

To enter the Shriver House Museum is to take a step back in time. View rooms authentically furnished to the mid-1800s to understand what life was like at that time in south-central Pennsylvania. The tour includes every room in the Shrivers' home plus the Confederate sharpshooters' nest in the attic - where written accounts (and modern forensic evidence) confirm at least two soldiers were killed - and a visit to Shriver's Saloon in the cellar.

At the conclusion of the tour, see numerous artifacts discovered during the restoration of the Shrivers' home in 1996 including live civil war ammunition, civil war period medical supplies and much, much more.

The Shriver House Museum has earned numerous awards including the PA Historical and Museum Commission’s Historic Preservation Award. In addition to being selected as a Pennsylvania Civil War Trails and Journey Through Hallowed Ground site, the museum has been used as a filming site by PBS, The Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel, A&E, HGTV, BBC, CNN, and The History Channel.

• Built as 'Shriver's Saloon & Ten-Pin Alley'
• Tours conducted by docent in period attire
• Authentic bullet holes
• Authentic sharpshooters nest in the attic - where two soldiers were killed
• CSI Detectives using a Luminal-like blood reagent confirmed blood stains
• See live civil war bullets and medical supplies found under the attic floorboards during the restoration
• Used as a hospital after the Battle of Gettysburg
• Period garden
• Museum shop

LINCOLN LOOK-ALIKE CONTEST

Looking for genuine and creative Lincoln look-alikes

The name Lincoln can be seen everywhere in Gettysburg today - from the various portraits and statues of Lincoln around town to the Lincoln Diner and the Lincoln Train Museum. It’s even possible to have dinner with our 16th President, in person.

But, if you think you could pass for Abraham Lincoln, there is a contest for you. On Wednesday, July 3rd, the Shriver House Museum is holding a Lincoln Look-Alike Contest. There are three categories so pick the one that best suits your qualifications:

• serious-minded, genuine look-alike
• most creative Lincoln look-alike
• 14 and under Lincoln look-alike

Use you imagination to put forth your best impression of the tall, maybe-not-so-handsome but extremely famous president. Start growing your beard today to be sure you’ve got the right look. If that presents a problem, a black sharpie pen may come in handy for the whisker-challenged among you. After the Lincoln Look-Alike event contestants are invited to participate in the Independence Day Parade that evening, dressed in their best Abe attire. Honest.

For more information or to register for the Lincoln Look-Alike Contest, contact the Shriver House Museum at 717-337-2800 or by email at mail@shriverhouse.org.

CONFEDERATES TAKE THE SHRIVER HOUSE - TWO KILLED!

The only Reenactment to take place IN THE STREETS of Gettysburg - on original battleground!
Saturday, July 6, 2013; 5 - 9 pm

• Watch a live play on the sidewalk for free at 5 pm depicting the reaction of the citizens of town when the Battle of Gettysburg began. Hettie Shriver and her neighbors are frantic - should they stay put or leave town. Hettie's decision to seek safety elsewhere left her home abandoned and ripe for occupation by the invading Confederates. 
• Learn why Hettie Shriver took her two girls, seven-year-old Sadie and five-year-old Mollie, and her 15-year-old neighbor, Tillie Pierce, to seek safety outside town only to find themselves deep within the battle lines - at the base of Little Round Top!
• Speak with Confederate soldiers as they prepare for battle while witnessing sharpshooters fire their muskets from the Shrivers' attic window. When the battle ended the Shrivers' home was used as a hospital for some of the thousands of wounded soldiers left behind after the conflict.
• Come watch as surgeons struggle to save lives in a make-shift hospital in the summer kitchen.
• At the conclusion of the tour cool off with a root beer in Shriver's Saloon while younger visitors have a nurse bandage their wounds (leaving a small spurt of blood seeping through the bandage) or make whirligigs to take along as a memento of your visit. The Battle of Gettysburg encompassed not only the surrounding countryside by the streets of this historic town as well.
• Come witness the only reenactment to take place in the streets of Gettysburg - in the very house where it actually happened on July 1, 2 & 3 1863. 
• Reservations are currently being accepted by calling 717-337-2800. Ask for Nancie or Kim.

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CELEBRATE GEORGE SHRIVER'S 176th BIRTHDAY!

Sunday, July 27, 2013; 10 am - 6 pm

The Shriver House Museum invites you to celebrate George Washington Shriver’s 176th birthday at his home on Baltimore Street in Gettysburg on Friday, July 27th. George will be on hand to share his birthday cake and pink lemonade in honor of the occasion.

George’s grandfather, Lewis P. Shriver, purchased several hundred acres of farmland from the ‘Manor of the Maske’ which was owned by the sons of William Penn. The farm was situated in the area south of Gettysburg known as Greenmount. The beautiful stone farmhouse where George was born on July 27, 1836 still stands today as testament to one of the original families to settle in Adams County in the 1700s.

The story of George Shriver was not well-known until 1996 when the house he built on Baltimore Street, which sat abandoned for nearly 30 years, was painstakingly restored to its original 1860s appearance. Today, the Shrivers’ story is one of the most intriguing stories told when it comes to the civilian aspect of the Battle of Gettysburg. In the summer of 1860, when George was 24 years old, he sold off his family farm in order to build a new home in town. He had married Hettie, a daughter of Jacob Weikert who had a large farm on Taneytown Road, and they had two young daughters, Sadie (5) and Mollie (3). Their sizable new home was large enough to accommodate George’s business: Shriver’s Saloon and Ten-Pin Alley. The saloon was located in the cellar and a two-lane, ten-pin bowling alley was situated in the backyard.

CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS TOURS
Holiday traditions and celebrations of the 1860s.
Thanksgiving Evening and Saturdays through December 21, 2013

Take a step back in time to discover how Christmas was celebrated in the mid-1800s. Enter the 19th century home of George, Hettie, Sadie (7), and Mollie (5) Shriver as they prepare for the Christmas holidays. See the candle-laden Christmas tree in its place of honor on the parlor table as a fire roars in the fireplace of the handsome room decorated with hand-made holiday greenery. After hanging stockings on the mantle, the girls set out milk and cookies in anticipation of a visit from Santa Claus on that magical night. While soldiers faced the perils of the Civil War, Christmas offered a few moments of cheer that would help brighten the lives of those at home. Learn how families celebrated the holidays while fathers, sons, and husbands were separated from loved ones during this tragic time in American history.

Private tours for groups of ten or more are welcome at any time (day or evening) throughout the holiday season; reservations are required.

* * * NOTE * * *
Regardless of our posted hours, reservations for groups of ten or more are welcome at any time, day or evening, throughout the year. Simply call or email to make arrangements.

For more information, see description under "Events". 

Learn more about our Holiday Tours and Daily Tours

http://www.shriverhouse.org

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