We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Gettysburg. The 150th anniversary of the famous battle made our visit that much more special.
We had visited the town and battle site before, but things were really ratcheted up for this year’s celebration. One of our most enjoyable experiences was the free shuttle ride to and tour of a property that was used as a hospital during the Civil War. The Gettysburg Battlefield NHS now owns this property, and is in the process of restoring the barn, kitchen, house, and other areas. Folks in costume told us visitors all about the people who had lived on the property, and one portrayed a doctor of the times as he displayed his gruesome tools of the time period.
I haven’t spoken much about the campsites we have visited throughout our travels, but a special mention goes to Raystown Lake, an Army Corps of Engineers campground that is in incredibly beautiful surroundings for the low cost per site. We stayed a full week, enjoying the gorgeous views for greatly affordable rates.
We finally, after several attempts, managed to visit Lancaster County on a day other than a Sunday! We were searching out McDowells, McLearys, and Demuths, but only found information on the Demuth family. This was a good find, though, linking Heinrich and Anna Demuth to each of their four sons through baptismal records.
Quaker sightings were at a minimum, though we did see a few.
We’ll have to return to Pennsylvania in the future, as we have research to do on the Wilsons of Washington County, and the Beesons and Mendenhalls of Chester County, but we definitely had a great visit this time!
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