Blood on the Bread Board, A Mother’s Sorrow: Mary Ann Filby Wade LIVE

Step into the dim glow of a wartime kitchen during Blood on the Bread Board: A Mother’s Sorrow at 8:30 p.m. on July 17, July 24 and July 31, 2026, in the Keeping Room Theater at the Farnsworth House Inn on Baltimore Street in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

This intimate hearthside performance tells the story of Mary Anne Filby Wade, the grieving but unbreakable mother of Mary Virginia “Jennie” Wade, the only civilian directly killed during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Mary Anne recounts the chaos that reached her family’s doorstep in July 1863: her daughter Georgia Anna giving birth as the armies closed in, a newborn grandson sheltered from the gunfire and the sudden loss of Jennie while she was kneading dough for Union soldiers.

Through dramatic storytelling, audiences experience a mother’s grief, courage and determination as she protects her family and faces the devastation of war. The performance also explores the heartbreaking task of burying Jennie in the back garden while the battle continued around them.

More than a traditional Gettysburg history program, this emotional theatrical presentation brings the Wade family’s story to life through the eyes of a mother caught between armies, mourning her daughter and refusing to collapse when her family needed her most.