Volunteer Openings Announced at the David Wills House

The David Wills House Celebrates an 1859 Holiday

Gettysburg, PA—The newly opened David Wills House museum has decked its halls to embody holiday traditions celebrated more than 150 years ago.  Greenery, fruit and dried flowers add a touch of Christmases long ago to the galleries and recreated rooms.  Living historians will be on hand to tell guests what was happening in and around Gettysburg during December 1859.  Through Dec. 31, the museum will present an 1859 holiday.  As part of the month long celebration, guests can take part in the many programs that will be offered.

Come in and warm up from the cold on December 11th.  The museum will be open until 9 p.m. for Tuba Carol Fest on Lincoln Square.  Enjoy a candlelit tour while taking a break from shopping or enjoying all the other sights and sounds downtown Gettysburg has to offer.

On Dec. 5, 6 & 12 Victorian carolers will celebrate the sounds of Gettysburg with traditional holiday songs.  Join in the merriment from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  This program is free with general admission.

Saint Nicholas will be decked out in his 1860’s finest and will be on hand to read the book, “T’was the Night Before Christmas.”  Start a new holiday tradition with your family and hear this classic read by St. Nick on Dec. 13, 19 and 20 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Children will also hear about the history of the candy cane, and what the holidays were really like for children 150 years ago. This program is free with general admission. 

Restored Portrait of James Wills, father of David Wills, Unveiled

GETTYSBURG – The David Wills House Museum unveiled a recently restored portrait of James Wills, father of David Wills. The portrait, by artist David S. Forney, was received by the Adams County Historical Society from a member of the Wills Family in 2004. At that time the likeness was not identified. Thanks to a photograph held by another branch of the family, a copy of which was given to the Society, the identity of the man was discovered to be the father of David Wills.

The painting just underwent conservation by Cumberland County based conservator Brian R. Howard of Brian R. Howard Associates, Inc. The cost of the conservation work was slightly over $5,000 and included the repairs to the actual canvas, cleaning of the work, and restoration of the frame. This expense was underwritten by donations from the Donors to the Adams County Historical Society, including the Strong Family Endowment; Military History Online, Battle of Gettysburg, Internet Discussion Group; and Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable.

The portrait is on long term loan to the National Park Service from the Adams County Historical Society and will be on display beginning November 17, 2009. Come view this historical treasure and enjoy the Meet & Greet programs the David Wills House Museum will present on November 19th and 20th. For more information please call 1-866-486-5735 or visit our website www.davidwillshouse.org.

The David Wills House Celebrates the Dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery with two programs

Gettysburg, PA—To commemorate the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, the David Wills House in Gettysburg is unveiling a newly restored portrait of David Wills’ father for display in the Wills’ law office during the week of November 16, 2009. The painting will remain on long-term display in the office where Wills wrote out his invitation to the President to come to Gettysburg for the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery to say “a few appropriate remarks.”

The painting is on loan from the Adams County Historical Society and three organizations generously contributed to its recent conservation: the Adams County Historical Society, the Gettysburg Civil War Round Table, and Military History On-line.

For the week of Dedication Day and Remembrance Day, the David Wills House will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all seven days and is offering special public programs: On Thursday, November 19, living historians will portray President Abraham Lincoln and Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin meeting with each other in a special program at the David Wills House. The program highlights their historic meeting on the evening of November 19, 1863. Living historians Bill Ciampa and Murray Strauser will portray the President and Governor. The program takes place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the David Wills House. Museum tickets will be required to attend.

On November 20 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. living historians portraying David and Catherine Wills will be on hand to answer questions, mingle and speak about what life was like in the 1860’s. Join the Wills and learn more about the fascinating history of the family and the building.  Museum tickets will be required to attend.

During the week of Dedication Day and Remembrance Day, the museum is also featuring new enhancements such as window treatments and new artifacts in the Wills law office and Lincoln bedroom galleries. These updates and improvements have been added since the opening in February 2008. 

The David Wills House Offers Free Admission on Smithsonian Magazine’s 5th Annual Museum Day

--Museum Day 2009 Poised to be Largest to Date--

The newly opened David Wills House participates as a featured museum

Gettysburg, PA—On Saturday, September 26, 2009, The David Wills House will participate in the fifth annual Museum Day, presented by Smithsonian magazine. A celebration of culture, learning and the dissemination of knowledge, Smithsonian’s Museum Day reflects the spirit of the magazine, and emulates the free-admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, DC-based properties. Doors will be open free of charge to Smithsonian magazine readers and Smithsonian.com visitors at museums and cultural institutions nationwide. The David Wills House will also feature free admission to Adams County residents.

Last year, upwards of 200,000 people attended Museum Day, with all 50 states plus Puerto Rico represented by over 900 participating museums, including 84 Smithsonian affiliate museums. This year, the magazine expects to attract over 1,000 museums.

“Museum Day is a way for institutions like the David Wills House to give back to the community and open their doors to the public free of charge. It also is an incredible opportunity to be associated with the Smithsonian Museum community and to use an established program like this in our own community,” said Jennifer Roth, Museum Manager of the David Wills House.

The David Wills House is new museum in the town of Gettysburg that tells the story of the aftermath of battle and Lincoln’s visit to give the Gettysburg Address. Officially part of Gettysburg National Military Park, the museum is operated by Main Street Gettysburg. Located at 8 Lincoln Square in downtown Gettysburg, the museum includes five galleries, two recreated rooms– the David Wills law office and the Lincoln bedroom, two interactive exhibits, two films, and gift shop. 

Visit www.smithsonian.com/museumday to download your Museum Day Admission Card.  Attendees must present the Museum Day Admission Card to gain free entry to participating institutions. Each card provides museum access for two people, and one admission card is permitted per household. Listings and links to participating museums’ can also be found at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.  

For information on the David Wills House please call 1-866-436-5735 or visit our website www.davidwillshouse.org.

Letters to Lincoln

Visitors to the David Wills House can spend a few minutes to write letters to Abraham Lincoln in a new program that begins Friday May 15, 2009.  The letters will be collected at the end of the six months and will form the basis for a special exhibit in November at the David Wills House to commemorate Lincoln’s 200th birthday year.

“Each month we will be asking our visitors to write to Lincoln on a topic like the David Wills House, the Gettysburg Address, and other specific questions related to the 16th President,” said Jennifer Roth, manager of the David Wills House for Main Street Gettysburg.  “Our visitors have such a personal connection to the stories we tell here.  We wanted to give them an opportunity to put some of those thoughts down onto paper in a short note to President Lincoln.”

The letters will be collected through September 30, 2009.  During November, 2009, they will be displayed in the David Wills House in a temporary month-long exhibition.

The program is open to all ages and is free with admission to the David wills House.

The David Wills House is new museum in the town of Gettysburg that tells the story of the aftermath of battle and Lincoln’s visit to give the Gettysburg Address.  Officially part of Gettysburg National Military Park, the museum is operated by Main Street Gettysburg.  Located at 8 Lincoln Square, the David Wills House is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 a.m.  Admission is $6.50 for adults, $5.50 for seniors and $4.00 for children ages 6-18.

For information on this program and the museum please call 1-866-436-5735.

Gettysburg National Military Park and Main Street Gettysburg Press Release

Explore Lincoln and the Aftermath of Battle at the David Wills House, Opening February 12

"After the battle, Gettysburg became a vast hospital and morgue: dead and wounded soldiers outnumbered civilians eleven to one," - so begins the Battle's Aftermath exhibit at the David Wills House, opening February 12 in downtown Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of Gettysburg National Military Park.

For the first time ever, the National Park Service has created a museum to tell the story of the aftermath of battle, and Lincoln’s visit to the give the Gettysburg Address. "The home of David Wills, a prominent citizen of the town, become ground zero in Gettysburg's recovery effort, with Wills himself fulfilling the roles of the CDC, the Red Cross, and FEMA combined," says Dr. John A. Latschar, Superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park.

In honor of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday on February 12, the David Wills House will celebrate an official ribbon cutting, offering visitors a new look at the little-known story of the aftermath at Gettysburg and Lincoln’s visit to give the Gettysburg Address. Grand Opening events will take place throughout 2009 – Lincoln’s bicentennial year.

The museum includes seven galleries filled with displays, original artifacts, and featuring two films: “Battle Ground to Hallowed Ground” which explores Cemetery Hill’s transition from a Union army defensive position to the site of the National cemetery; and “A Brief but Immortal Speech” which investigates the meaning of the Gettysburg Address from November 19, 1863, to today.

Two rooms are restored to their 1863 appearance: Wills' office as he received letters from families looking for loved ones after the battle and began planning for the cemetery and its dedication; and the bedroom where Lincoln stayed and prepared to deliver the Gettysburg Address.

Main Street Gettysburg will operate the museum located at 8 Lincoln Square in downtown Gettysburg, in partnership with the National Park Service. The property is on the National Register of Historic Places and has just had a $ 7.2 million overhaul to rehabilitate its historic features and develop the museum exhibits.

Winter operating hours will be Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In spring and fall the hours will be Tuesdays through Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In summer the hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week.

On February 12 admission will be free to all. Regular entrance fees will be $6.50 for Adults; $5.50 for Seniors; $4.00 for Youth (6-18); and Children 5 and under are free. For group tour reservations call tollfree: 866/486-5735.

Main Street Gettysburg is a nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation and economic revitalization of Gettysburg for the benefit of its citizens, businesses, and visitors. For information about the benefits of becoming a David Wills House Charter Guardian, contact Main Street Gettysburg at 866-486-5735 or at www.davidwillshouse.org.

Gettysburg National Military Park is a unit of the National Park Service that preserves and protects the resources associated with the Battle of Gettysburg and the Soldiers' National Cemetery, and provides an understanding of the events that occurred there within the context of American History. Information is available at www.nps.gov/gett.

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