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Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Stevens Hall

 
 
Stevens Hall Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Donovan, September 13, 2015
1. Stevens Hall Marker
Inscription. The residence hall straight ahead of you is named after Thaddeus Stevens, a trustee of Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College) from 1834 to 1868. During the Civil War, Stevens was a powerful abolitionist Congressman. He led efforts to pass the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ending slavery, defining citizenship, extending equal protection under the law to all citizens, and granting all male citizens the right to vote regardless of race. An early advocate of the Emancipation Proclamation, Stevens was one of the chief architects of both Reconstruction and President Johnson's impeachment.

After beginning his legal career in Gettysburg, Stevens became a state legislator and was responsible for the institution of free public education in Pennsylvania a generation earlier than other states. David Wills, an 1851 graduate of Pennsylvania College and a prominent local attorney, apprenticed with Thaddeus Stevens.

Instrumental in gaining 1832's state charter for what became Gettysburg College, Stevens also provided land for the central area of campus where Pennsylvania Hall stands (the building is visible in his portrait). Stevens hall opened in 1868, the year of its namesake's death, when "The Great Commoner" followed President Lincoln as only the third national figure to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol.

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Stevens was buried in an interracial cemetery in Lancaster, where he had lived and practiced law.
 
Erected by Main Street Gettysburg.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: EducationWar, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1834.
 
Location. 39° 50.154′ N, 77° 13.875′ W. Marker is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. Marker is on Carlisle Street (Pennsylvania Route 34), on the left when traveling north. Located along sidewalk in front of Stevens Hall, Gettysburg College. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gettysburg PA 17325, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. President Abraham Lincoln Signing the Emancipation Proclamation (a few steps from this marker); Eddie Plank (1875-1926) (within shouting distance of this marker); Dwight D. Eisenhower (within shouting distance of this marker); The Office of a President (within shouting distance of this marker); Battery K, First Ohio Light Artillery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Gettysburg College Rooted in History (about 300 feet away); The Founding of Gettysburg College
Stevens Hall Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Donovan, September 13, 2015
2. Stevens Hall Marker
Stevens Hall, showing marker to right of telephone pole.
(about 400 feet away); Captain James A. Thompson '40 (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gettysburg.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 3, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2015, by Bill Donovan of Maplewood, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 400 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on September 18, 2015, by Bill Donovan of Maplewood, New Jersey. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 18, 2024