Welcome to the Civil War Roundtable of Gettysburg. "The most important Roundtable, in the most important small town, at the most important battlefield, in the most important country in the world."
—Joe Mieczkowski, past president

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April 27

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

9:30 am, Saturday, May 6, 2023

McAllister Mill Site Tour

(Member's Only)

Kendra Debany

In the mid-19th century, James McAllister’s grist mill on Rock Creek in Cumberland Township served as a major “station” on the Underground Railroad.  Located just six miles from the Mason-Dixon line, McAllister’s Mill was the most southerly UGRR stop in Pennsylvania, and often the first place on free soil for runaway slaves to find food and shelter.

This special tour will take you on a one-mile loop to visit all of the McAllister family sites, including the house and barn site, the mill site, millrace, and the location of the old dam.  Along the way you will learn about the McAllister family and how they became involved in the local anti-slavery movement, and how their mill became a major “stop” on the “railroad.”  In addition, we will talk a little bit about the McAllister family and the property during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Parking will be at the north end of the old Mulligan MacDuffer parking lot (the side where the office used to be). Please carpool as much as possible.  

Kendra Debany specializes in historical property research for homeowners in Adams County, PA (Gettysburg House Histories). In addition to property research, she also gives house tours, lectures, and historical property walk-throughs.

 Debany previously worked part-time as a Preservation Specialist for HGAC (Historic Gettysburg-Adams County Preservation Society) for their Barn Preservation Project.  She is currently the Chair of their “House Preservation Award” Committee and a McAllister Mill Underground Railroad tour guide.  Debany is a Past President of the Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable and is a member of their "Civil War Building" Plaque Committee. Debany holds a MA Degree in Military Studies, with a Concentration in Civil War Studies. She and her husband, and their fur and feather family, reside on a Civil War farm in Cumberland Township.


Our meetings are the Fourth Thursday of each month.

We meet at Adams County Historical Society Events Center,
625 Biglerville Road, Gettysburg, PA.

The doors open at 6:30 pm. Meeting starts at 7:00 pm.

The meeting will also be live-streamed. Please see below for information.

Monthly Meeting Minutes


You can now use your credit card or PayPal to securely pay for your Membership Dues. Please see the Membership page for the link.

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OFFICERS

Bruce Davis, President  402.686.6969

Peter Miele, Vice President petemiele@gmail.com

Veronica Brestensky, Recording Secretary 412.719.3577

Linda Seamon, Membership Secretary 717.359.7339

David Diner, Treasurer 717.420.5730

Roger Heller, Program Director 717.398.2072

Linda Joswick, Webmaster 717.253.5477

Lynn Heller, Facebook Administrator 717.398.2072

BOARD MEMBERS

Gary "Rip" Engle (5/25), Lynn Heller (5/24), Roger Heller (5/25), Michele Hessler (5/23), Abbie Hoffman (5/23), Leon Reed 5/24)
Board Member Ex Officio:
Therese Orr

Next Board Meeting:

Board Meetings are are virtual meetings until it is safe to meet again. Minutes will be posted.

Board Meeting Minutes

 

COMMITTEES

Plaque Committee:
Reviews and places plaques on buildings that existed during the Battle in Adams County. For information or an application, contact Deb Novotny.

Book Award Committee:
Review books for the Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable Book Award.

Field Trip Committee:
Plan future trips for the members of the Civil War Roundtable.

If you are interested in more information, or joining, one the committees, please contact any Officer or Board Member.

 

 

Welcome to the web site of the Civil War Round Table of Gettysburg! Since first organized in 1957, we’ve met on the 4th Thursday of every month, until recently in the cozy confines of the Grand Army of the Republic Hall on Middle Street. As the gatherings there were shoulder-to-shoulder, hardly practicable for the age of covid, we’ve made a temporary move to the Gettysburg United Methodist Church, 30 West High Street — which has a certain symmetry, as the GAR building was itself the Civil War-era Methodist Church. Our current space has a lot of advantages, including room for social distancing, free parking in the back, an air filtration system, and excellent livestream capability. The latter is particularly important in the new normal. Starting with the covid shutdowns in March of 2020, we spent the next 14 months with ZOOM only presentations and were surprised at how many people tuned in from across the country. Even as we’ve returned to in person gatherings, we continue to livestream, archiving the presentations for on demand viewing. Elsewhere on this page, you’ll find a link to our past programs, as well as instructions for tuning into our real time gatherings. Our expanding membership includes Civil War enthusiasts from coast to coast; we’d love to include you in our number and hope you’ll check out the membership information elsewhere on this site. Of course, we invite you drop in on one of our meetings. Visitors are always welcome! As you’ll see listed on this site, we’ve got an outstanding roster of speakers lined up for 2022. You might also “Like” our Facebook page, where we post regular updates and photos. Finally, as you have any questions about our group, I invite you to contact me personally: brdgettysburg@gmail.com.

 
Bruce Davis
President

SPEAKERS

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Saturday May 6
9:30-noon
Kendra Debany
A Tour of McAllister’s Mill

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May 25
Ron Kirkwood
The Spangler Farm During the Battle of Gettysburg Part 2.

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June 22 (rain date June 29)
Peter Miele
The Attack of Scales’ Brigade at the Seminary

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July 27 (rain date July 31)
Larry Korcyzk
The Wheatfield

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August 31 (rain date Sept 7)
Dr. Carol Reardon
A tour of the Spangler Farm

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September 28
Bradley Gottfried
Comparing Antietam and Gettysburg

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October 26
Dennis Doyle
Illinois Regiments at Gettysburg

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November 16
Janet McCabe
The Story of Rufus Weaver

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December 7
Holiday Banquet at The Dobbin House
Jill Titus
Gettysburg in 1963

 


 

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