Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Monumental Stories
History, Heritage, and Honor
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
1. Monumental Stories Marker
About the Art
Monumental Stories is a dedication to the History, Heritage, and Honor of the African American community of Gettysburg, PA, and the United States Colored Troops (USCT).
The art is designed to communicate an everlasting historical account of the everyday lives of Black Americans from their experiences and point of view.
The art features artistic reproductions of photographic images, from as early as 1830, that were provided by the residents.
The art columns were chronologically divided using images which represent the past, present, and the future. The third column representing the future incorporates the ideas, thoughts, and aspirations of Black American youth from the neighborhood with the History, Heritage, and Honor.
(sidebar)
About the artist:
Ophelia M. Chambliss is a fine art and public art muralist. She calls her signature painting style realistic cubism, and paints a variety of subject matters, which specializing in community outreach projects.
She has a BA and an MA in Communications from Penn State University. Using lectures and presentations that build art appreciation and cultural understanding, she combines both verbal and visual elements to tell the story behind the image.
Ophelia is originally
this page online
Erected 2012 by Adams County Arts Council.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania State University series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1830.
Location. 39° 49.563′ N, 77° 14.15′ W. Marker is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. Memorial is at the intersection of Long Lane and Lincoln Lane, on the right when traveling south on Long Lane. Marker is located in Gettysburg Recreation Park west of the Lincoln Cemetery. 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. Where do we bury our dead? Lincoln Cemetery (a few steps from this marker); Basil Biggs (within shouting distance of this marker); Lincoln Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Lincoln Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Goodwill Cemetery (about 500 feet away, measured in
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
2. Monumental Stories Marker
This view shows the marker along with the three columns.
More about this marker. Community Partners: Elm Street • The Borough of Gettysburg • Olde Getty Place • The Breck Squad. Funding Partners: The National Endowment for the Arts • Art Works • Adams County Community Development • Block Grant • The Pennsylvania Humanities Council • The Robert C. Hoffman Charitable Endowment Trust
Also see . . .
1. Opehelia Chambliss. Online Art Gallery (Submitted on August 12, 2013.)
2. Ophelia Chambliss blog. Visual Rhetoric and Critical Discourse (Submitted on August 12, 2013.)
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
3. 1st Column (side 1)
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
4. 1st Column (side 2)
(top) An early photograph of the Lincoln Cemetery. (center) A black couple outside their home, circa 1900s.
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
5. 1st Column (side 3)
(top) "We will prove ourselves men" was the motto of the USCT whose flag is pictured here. (center) Mr. Lloyd A. Watts. Watts enlisted in Company B of the 24th USCT in February 1865 and received the rank of Sergeant. After the war, Watts returned to Gettysburg to become the first African American teacher in Gettysburg's public schools and also served as a deacon at the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. He was founding member of the Sons of Goodwill, a civic group that organized Emancipation Day celebrations in town, and established the Goodwill Cemetery, which eventually became Lincoln Cemetery. (bottom) A parchment listing the names of the 29 Colored Troops buried in the Lincoln Cemetery.
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
6. 2nd Column (side 1)
...all men are created equal
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
7. 2nd Column (side 2)
(center) Black children who attended the colored school on Franklin and High Street.
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
8. 2nd Column (side 3)
(top) Children participating in the segregated Memorial Day Parade, circa 1937. (bottom) The names of the families who have lived in Gettysburg for several generations.
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
9. 3rd Column (side 1)
Olde Getty Place where history hides
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
10. 3rd Column (side 2)
knowledge is power
Photographed By Karl Stelly, August 5, 2013
11. 3rd Column (side 3)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 7, 2013, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,460 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. submitted on August 7, 2013, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
