About Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (courtesy of Wikipedia)
.Gettysburg is a borough 38 miles (68 km) south by southwest of Harrisburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania, USA, of which it is the county seatGR6. As of the 2000 census, the borough population was 7,490.
Although known primarily as a tourist attraction due to its proximity to Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg is also known for its institutions of higher learning, namely the Lutheran Theological Seminary, founded in 1826, and Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College), which began operating in 1832.
Many roads radiate from Gettysburg, providing hub-like access to Baltimore (52 miles), Harrisburg (38 miles), Carlisle (30 miles), Frederick and Hagerstown, Maryland (25 and 30 miles, respectively), and Washington, D.C. (60 miles). Chambersburg is 25 miles west on the Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30), the first transcontinental U.S. highway. Today the town is a 2½ hour drive from Philadelphia via the Pennsylvania Turnpike and U.S. Route 15.
During the American Civil War (1861–65), Company K, 1st Pennsylvania Reserves, was made up of men from Gettysburg. This unit was present in the Army of the Potomac during the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1–3, 1863. As nearly 160,000 soldiers descended on the small village, the battle raged all around and through the town, resulting in the death of the only civillian killed in battle, Jenny Wade. On July 1 the Theological Seminary was the scene of much heavy fighting, and the Seminary buildings—as well as those of Pennsylvania College and most other public and many private buildings—were used as hospitals. President Abraham Lincoln visited the town in November 1863 to attend the dedication ceremony of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, where he gave his Gettysburg Address.
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