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

Elizabeth Masser Thorn

1832-1907

Photographed by Mark Parker, March 16, 2023

1. Elizabeth Masser Thorn Marker

Inscription. Elizabeth Masser and Peter Thorn emigrated from Germany and were married on September 1, 1855; coincidentally, the same day the cornerstone was laid for the Evergreen Cemetery Gatehouse. The Thorns became the first family to live in the Gatehouse when Peter was appointed superintendent of the cemetery in 1856. After Peter joined the Union Army, Elizabeth assumed his duties and served as caretaker from 1862-1865. With the help of her elderly father, amid the heat and stench, Elizabeth buried ninety-one soldiers in the weeks following the Battle of Gettysburg. While six months pregnant, she dug the graves in one of the rockiest regions of the cemetery.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Immigration • War, US Civil • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1863.

Location. 39° 49.235′ N, 77° 13.76′ W. Marker is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. It can be reached from Baltimore Street 0.1 miles north of Slocum Avenue, on the left when traveling north. The marker and Thorn statue are located on the left, just past the gatehouse, at the entrance to Evergreen Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 799 Baltimore St, Gettysburg PA 17325, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

of this marker: Fifth New York Light Artillery (within shouting distance of this marker); Second Volunteer Brigade (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Fifth New York Light Artillery (within shouting distance of this marker); Fifth New York Independent Battery (within shouting distance of this marker); Battery B, Fourth U.S. Artillery (within shouting distance of this marker); 4th Ohio Infantry (within shouting distance of this marker); Battery I, First Ohio Artillery (within shouting distance of this marker); ...broken by gunfire... (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gettysburg.

Also see . . . Elizabeth Thorn: "Those Were Hard Days". Extensive article by Dianna Loski detailing Elizabeth Masser Thorn's role at Evergreen Cemetery and the events surrounding the Battle of Gettysburg. (Submitted on June 16, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

Elizabeth Masser Thorn statue near the marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, March 16, 2023

2. Elizabeth Masser Thorn statue near the marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 168 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 16, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.