Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum

Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum. . , Constructed in 1832 under the leadership of the Reverend Samuel Simon Schmucker, the brick federal-style building was an impressive home for the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. In July 1863, as war engulfed Gettysburg, the building became a military observation post, a strategic artillery position and a field hospital that cared for more than 600 of the wounded. , By the 1960s, no longer functional for student use, the "Old Dorm" was leased to the Adams County Historical Society and saved from the threat of demolition. For the next 52 years, the Society operated historic Schmucker Hall as a museum and research center and undertook renovations and repairs to maintain the building. The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and the Adams County Historical Society initiated a joint project - under the auspices of the Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation - to stabilize and actively re-use the historic Schmucker Hall. The Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum, opened July 1, 2013 on the 150th anniversary of the battle and presents Civil War exhibits and programs on the first day of the battle, care of the wounded, the role of religion and the efforts of African Americans in their struggle for freedom.