The Alexander Dobbin House, dating from the country’s founding in 1776, stands as the oldest house in Gettysburg and has witnessed history from the American Revolution and frontier life through the Civil War and into the 21st Century. Guided Dobbin House Tours allows guests to learn the details of that history and experience the centuries-old stories within the rooms where they happened.
With its native stone walls, seven fireplaces, and hand carved woodwork, the Dobbin House, at 89 Steinwehr Ave, has been restored to its original beauty and furnished with 18th and 19th century antiques. Guides take guests on an entertaining tour through the restored house and back to frontier life to meet Scots Irish immigrants Reverend Alexander Dobbin and his wife Isabella. Six staircases carry tour participants through three floors and two centuries of history from the Dobbin Family in Revolutionary times to the Zeigler Family who lived in the house during the Civil War.
Highlights of the tour include the basement spring which provided fresh water to the families, the secret room that housed runaways on the Underground Railroad, Mrs. Dobbin’s original kitchen utensils, and Reverend Dobbin’s library, study, and parlor.
The tour is free and can be booked online; a small gratuity for the guides is appreciated.
