The Historic Gettysburg-Adams County Preservation Society (HGAC) restored the G.A.R. Hall at 53 East Middle Street in Gettysburg about 40 years ago. The Hall was originally built as a Methodist Church in 1822 and was used as a hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg. After the Civil War, the Grand Army of the Republic purchased the building and used it as their meeting hall. Today it serves as the headquarters of HGAC and is also available for rental for special events. Tours of the building are available upon request.
HGAC is committed to preserving all things historic in Gettysburg and Adams County. To that end, the society offers the following:
- Underground Railroad Tours weekly at McAllister’s Mill, adjacent to the National Military Park on Baltimore Pike. Tours leave from the south end of the Mulligan MacDuffer’s Adventure Golf parking lot every Saturday at 11:00 AM from May through August. A blue Pennsylvania Historic Marker marks the spot. The site, now a ruin with foundations and waterways still intact, was most probably the first site in Adams County that people seeking freedom found on their flight north from slavery. Suggested donations for the tour are $5 for students and $10 for adults.
- Educational Speaker Program on varied historic topics, the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 at the GAR Hall. Free to the public.
- Annual BarnArt Exhibit: paintings and photographs by students and adults referencing Adams County historic barns. June 9, 10 and 11, 2023
- Historic Barns Tour of Gettysburg and Adams County, held 0n September 16, 2023.
- HGAC’s Architectural Salvage Warehouse is open on the first and third Saturdays, from April through October, at the Daniel Lady Farm historic site on 986 Hanover Road in Gettysburg. Browse a varied selection of vintage items, including doors and windows.
- HGAC’s Summer at Spangler program, in partnership with the Gettysburg Foundation, is held on Sundays at the George Spangler Farm from Memorial Day until the middle of August. Come tour a historic Pennsylvania bank barn and learn how it was built. Shuttle available from the battlefield Visitors Center.
- “Homespun Christmas” market in December, harking back to the nostalgic Christmas of yore.
For more information, please consult the HGAC website at www.hgaconline.org.
