Hanover in York County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

This Train is Bound for Glory

Lincoln Rallies for the Union

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 3, 2022

1. This Train is Bound for Glory Marker

Inscription.

This Train is Bound for Glory. Lincoln Rallies for the Union. , If you had been standing here on Wednesday afternoon, November 18, 1863, you might have heard a rumor that President Abraham Lincoln would be passing through town on a train. At 5 P.M., his train chugged down the main line directly in front of you. To allow a freight train to pass, it then slowly rolled onto a siding, or auxiliary line, leading to the Hanover Branch Railroad station. Known as the depot (built in 1852 and demolished in 1915), the building stood about one hundred yards to your right and across Railroad Street behind the current CSX station. After his train stopped there, Lincoln ducked his six feet four inches of height through the coach car's doorway and spoke in his reedy, Kentucky twang: "I trust when the enemy was here the citizens of Hanover were loyal to our country and the Stars and Stripes. If you are not all true patriots in support of the union you should be." , The locomotive then reversed to the main line to transport Lincoln to Gettysburg, where he delivered his immortal Gettysburg Address the next day at the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery. Today, a bronze plaque near the site of the old depot commemorates this special moment. According to local tradition, the Hanover Commons industrial yard, where the depot stood, manufactured the Hanover Branch Railroad coach car from which Lincoln spoke. , "[Lincoln] was greeted with cheers and delivered one of the brief quaint speeches for which he is celebrated. He said, 'Well, you have seen me, and according to general experience you have seen less than you expected to see,' and a hearty round of merriment attended the remark. The young ladies then came forward bringing bouquets and presented them to the President, while a beautiful flag was planted in the rear of the car. The whistle screamed, the brakes loosened, and the assemblage gave a cheer, and the train rattled up the Gettysburg road.” , , Hanover Spectator, Nov. 27, 1863 . This historical marker was erected in 2022 by Pennsylvania Civil War Trails. It is in Hanover in York County Pennsylvania

If you had been standing here on Wednesday afternoon, November 18, 1863, you might have heard a rumor that President Abraham Lincoln would be passing through town on a train. At 5 P.M., his train chugged down the main line directly in front of you. To allow a freight train to pass, it then slowly rolled onto a siding, or auxiliary line, leading to the Hanover Branch Railroad station. Known as the depot (built in 1852 and demolished in 1915), the building stood about one hundred yards to your right and across Railroad Street behind the current CSX station. After his train stopped there, Lincoln ducked his six feet four inches of height through the coach car's doorway and spoke in his reedy, Kentucky twang: "I trust when the enemy was here the citizens of Hanover were loyal to our country and the Stars and Stripes. If you are not all true patriots in support of the union you should be."

The locomotive then reversed to the main line to transport Lincoln to Gettysburg, where he delivered his immortal Gettysburg Address the next day at the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery. Today, a bronze plaque near the site of the old depot

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 3, 2022

2. This Train is Bound for Glory Marker

(looking east across Railroad Street •
leftmost of three markers at this location •
former Hanover Union Station in background)

Click or scan to see
this page online

commemorates this special moment. According to local tradition, the Hanover Commons industrial yard, where the depot stood, manufactured the Hanover Branch Railroad coach car from which Lincoln spoke.

"[Lincoln] was greeted with cheers and delivered one of the brief quaint speeches for which he is celebrated. He said, 'Well, you have seen me, and according to general experience you have seen less than you expected to see,' and a hearty round of merriment attended the remark. The young ladies then came forward bringing bouquets and presented them to the President, while a beautiful flag was planted in the rear of the car. The whistle screamed, the brakes loosened, and the assemblage gave a cheer, and the train rattled up the Gettysburg road.”
—Hanover Spectator, Nov. 27, 1863

Erected 2022 by Pennsylvania Civil War Trails.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & Patriotism • Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, and the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is November 18, 1863.

Location. 39° 48.252′ N, 76° 59.164′ W. Marker is in Hanover, Pennsylvania, in York County. Marker is at the intersection

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of North Railroad Street and Library Place, on the right when traveling south on North Railroad Street. Marker is located near the southeast corner of the Guthrie Memorial Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 Library Place, Hanover PA 17331, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Working on the Railroad All the Live Long Day (here, next to this marker); A Commons of Locomotives & Locomotion (here, next to this marker); In Memory and in Grateful Recognition of (within shouting distance of this marker); Destruction of Private Property (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Abraham Lincoln (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Abraham Lincoln (about 500 feet away); Korean War Memorial (about 500 feet away); Vietnam War Memorial (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hanover.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Abraham Lincoln in Hanover, Nov. 18, 1863

Also see . . .
1. Lincoln Arrives In Hanover.

The train left Baltimore about two o’clock in the afternoon, and proceeded to Gettysburg, reaching the latter city about seven in the evening. The only interruption to the journey was at Hanover, where a train passing East compelled the Presidential train to halt until the track was clear. The people of the vicinity who lined the railroad immediately
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massed themselves around the car containing the President. He stepped upon the platform, and the whole body of people uncovered [took their hats off] in his presence.

(Submitted on May 5, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Hanover Branch Railroad Provided Access to Gettysburg.

On November 18, 1863, the HBRR carried President Abraham Lincoln and a 100-person contingent of politicians, bandsmen, choir members, and soldiers from Hanover Junction to Gettysburg. Lincoln was scheduled to deliver a few dedicatory remarks at the ceremony the following day to dedicate the new national cemetery before returning that evening to Washington via Hanover Junction and Baltimore. Several reporters and ceremony attendees who also rode the HBRR complained bitterly about the roughness and unevenness of the tracks. It resulted in an uncomfortable, jostling ride.

(Submitted on May 6, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 19, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 5, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 140 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 5, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.