Places to experience history

Gathered here are suggestions where history can be experienced. Information included was gathered from the musuems’ websites.

Address: 4141 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh

Phone: 412-621-4253

Open: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday

Of Note: The museum has a Gettysburg Room, originally a meeting room for members of the Grand Army of the Republic (Civil War veterans), which houses two exhibits. Walk the perimeter of the room and view photos of the early days of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall from groundbreaking to completion, and authentic artifacts from the Battle of Gettysburg. The West Hall contains Civil War artifacts that introduces visitors to stories of families and local soldiers who lived during the era. The Front Hall has five detailed, stained glass windows featuring different Civil War veteran society themes, a collection of significant military flags, and view musical instruments used during the Civil War.

The National Civil War Museum

Address: Resevoir Park, 1 Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg

Phone: 717-260-1861

Open: Monday - Saturday 10 a.m.to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 to 5 p.m.

Of Note: The museum is one of the largest museums in the U.S. that portrays the whole story of the American Civil War. The museum seeks to tell the whole story of the war while focusing on the issues, the people, and the lives that were affected.

Gettysburg Museum of History

Address: 219 Baltimore St., Gettysburg

Phone: 717-337-2035

Open: Wednesday - Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Of Note: The curator, Erik L. Dorr, founded the museum. His ancestors moved to Gettysburg in 1818, eventually settling in Ziegler’s Grove, the location of Pickett’s Charge on July 3rd, 1863. A number of the American Civil War battlefield relics in the Gettysburg Museum of History were found on the family’s Ziegler’s Grove farm after Pickett’s Charge. Erik L Dorr has been featured on many TV shows, including The Haunted Collector, American Pickers, and Pawn Stars, appraising, buying and selling historical artifacts.

Gettysburg National Military Park

Address: 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg

Open: Sunday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Phone: 717-334-1124

Of Note: The Gettysburg National Military Park protects and interprets the landscape of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. The park is managed by the National Park Service which partners with the Gettysburg Foundation, a nonprofit, educational organization, which operates the park’s museum and visitors center.

Jennie Wade House

Address: 548 Baltimore St., Gettysburg

Phone: 717-334-4100

Open: Starting March 17, 2023 Sunday - Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Of Note: Just 20 years old at the time of the Battle, Jennie was kneading dough in the kitchen when a rifle bullet pierced two doors and claimed her life. She was betrothed to Corporal Johnston “Jack” Skelly, a childhood friend. It has long been said that when a woman places her ring finger in the bullet hole in the door, she will soon be proposed to, and a ring will be placed on that finger. Some believe that Jennie, her marriage thwarted and her betrothal cut short by death, would want to bring to others the marital bliss that she was denied.

Ghost Tours of Gettysburg

Address: 717 Baltimore St., Gettysburg

Phone: 717-334-1156

Open: The Haunted Bus Tour is offered most Saturdays throughout summer and fall

Of Note: The first ghost tour was in August of 2003. Since then biggest names in the ghost hunting and paranormal communities have visited the haunted sites, including Ghost Lab, Paranormal State, Most Haunted Live from England and Ghost Adventures. After visiting, Zak from Ghost adventures wrote an article for the USA Today Newspaper placing the Orphanage on his top 10 “Freakiest places for a Friday the 13th!” Ghost Lab placed the Jennie Wade House on their “10 Most Haunted List.”

Civil War Renactment

Address: Old Bedford Village, 220 Sawblade Road, Bedford, Pa.

Phone: 814-623-1156

Open: June 10-11

Of Note: Learn about the American military of the period. Talk with vets. Reenactors, period military vehicle rides. Hundreds of troops and horses relive the Civil War. Visit the camps. Battles complete with cannons both days.

Meet the Union Generals, Living History Event

Address: Old Bedford Village, 220 Sawblade Road, Bedford, Pa.

Phone: 814-623-1156

Open: Aug. 19 and 20

Of Note: The Confederation of Union Generals and their ladies discuss their lives and the Civil War.

6th Annual Union Soldiers & Civilians Encampment: The Homefront: 1863

Address: Old Bedford Village, 220 Sawblade Road, Bedford, Pa.

Phone: 814-623-1156

Open: Sept. 3 and 4

Of Note: Join us for a weekend of interpretive living history, as we recreate the raising of Bedford County’s Co’s. D, E., & F., of the 138th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. This event will feature a recruiting and training camp, using the U.S. Army Regulations of 1861 and the U.S. Army School of the Soldier tactics being demonstrated according to the original manuals. Camps will feature other U.S. Army departments and functions that would have existed during the time.

Manassa National Battlefield Park

Address: 6511 Sudley Road, Manassas, Va.

Phone: 703-361-1339

Open: The park is open daily from dawn until dusk.

Of Note: Better known as the First and Second Battle of Bull Run, this battlefield was home to a major Confederate victory. Here is where General Thomas J. Jackson earned his nickname Stonewall Jackson because he would not back down in the Second Battle for Bull Run. This battle marked the height of Confederate power during the Civil War.

Antietam National Battlefield

Address: 302 E. Main St., Sharpsburg, Md.

Phone: 301-432-5124

Open: Sunday - Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Of Note: The bloodiest day in American History, 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat. This battle was a major defeat for Confederate forces. On September 17, 1862, the north ended General Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the north. After the battle, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation stating that all slaves in the Confederate states would be freed.

USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum

Address: 3201 Clay St., Vicksburg, Miss.

Phone: 601-636-0583

Open: Thursday - Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Of Note: The USS Cairo was resurrected from six fathoms of water in the Mississippi River in 1964. June of 1977 the Cairo was partially reconstructed. The recovery of artifacts from the Cairo revealed a treasure trove of weapons, munitions, naval stores, and personal property that help tell the story of the sailors that once called the ship home.

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

Address: 111 National Park Dr, Appomattox, Va.

Phone: 434-352-8987

Open: Sunday - Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Of Note: Gen.Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. This marked the end of the Civil War. Much of the small village of Appomattox Court House still stands in the park. You can walk through to get a sense of what life was like here at the end of the Civil War.