Schmucker Hall is an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

site listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Adams County, Pennsylvania, that was constructed as the original Gettysburg Theological Seminary building. Used as both a Union and Confederate hospital during the 1863

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

, the facility served as the seminary's main building from 1832 to 1895, then as a dedicated dormitory for students until 1951. In 1960, it was leased by the Adams County Historical Society. Beginning in 2006, the Historical Society, along with the Seminary Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation, rehabilitated the building for adaptive reuse as the Seminary Ridge Museum. The Adams County Historical Society moved into the nearby Wolf House on the seminary campus preceding the renovation. In 2013, on the 150th anniversary of the battle, the Seminary, the Adams County Historical Society and the Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation opened the building as the Seminary Ridge Museum. The Museum houses displays about many different aspects of the battle, the seminary, the town, and the civil war, and the struggle among faith groups over slavery, as well as offering tours of the cupola. The exhibit and museum have earned international, national and regional awards and the rehabilitation achieved LEED Certification in 2013.

History

The seminary opened with 11 students on September 5, 1826, at the 1810

Gettysburg Academy Gettysburg Academy (also known as the Classical Preparatory School and the Gettysburg Gymnasium) was an antebellum boys' boarding school for which the vernacular architecture schoolhouse (now "Reuning Hall") was the "first home" of the Luthera ...

building. An 1830 request for proposals was advertised for constructing the "whole building to be 100 feet,

viz. The abbreviation ''viz.'' (or ''viz'' without a full stop) is short for the Latin , which itself is a contraction of the Latin phrase ''videre licet'', meaning "it is permitted to see". It is used as a synonym for "namely", "that is to say", "t ...

the Centre building to be 50 feet square, two stories each 14 feet high--with two wings, 30 by 25 feet, three stories each 9 feet high. The wall of the first story of the Centre building is to be 18 inches thick--the second story and Wings to be 14 inches; to be covered with joint shingles, of white pine." The construction established the seminary campus between the Chambersburg Pike and

Nichol's Gap Road The Nichol's Gap Road was a central Pennsylvania highway established in the 18th century near Maryland, extending westward from the Black's Gap Road "just west of Little Conewago Creek" at the '' Crofs Keys'' stand of James Black. The road went pas ...

west of the Gettysburg borough on a ridge which became known as Haupt's Hill after

Herman Haupt Herman Haupt (March 26, 1817 – December 14, 1905) was an American civil engineer and railroad construction engineer and executive. As an honorary Union Army General officer, General during the American Civil War, he revolutionized U.S. milita ...

built his nearby 1837 Oakridge Select Academy. ;Battle of Gettysburg: Along with the "S. S. Schmucker" and "C. P. Krauth" professor dwellings of 1833 & 1834 (e.g., Confederates ransacked "the Schmucker house"), Old Dorm was used during the Gettysburg Campaign (e.g., the Old Dorm cupola was used as an observatory on June 30.) The nearby area was used by Union artillery July 1 prior to the "

last stand A last stand, or final stand, is a military situation in which a body of troops holds a defensive position in the face of overwhelming and virtually insurmountable odds. Troops may make a last stand due to a sense of duty; because they are d ...

of the Union 1st Corps on

Seminary Ridge Seminary Ridge is a dendritic ridge that served as an area of military engagements during the Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War, which was fought between July 1 and July 3, 1863 in and around Gettysburg, Pennsy ...

", then by Confederate artillery after being captured in late afternoon. The last patient at the hospital left on September 16, 1863 (Colonel George McFarland), Lightning set the cupola afire in 1913 and seminary use of Old Dorm ended in 1954. The 1939 Adams County Historical Society moved to the building in April 1961 and in 1995 began their current 30 year lease (the preceding archive library was in the

county courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

In 1972, the building was designated an

historic district contributing structure History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

by the Gettysburg council (1 of 38 outside of the borough), and in 1976 the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

dedicated the hall's "American Heritage Room". Schmucker Hall was filmed for the 1993 ''Gettysburg'' motion picture which depicted its cupola as a July 1 Gettysburg Battlefield "observation tower" (cf. the Fahnestock House). In 2004, Schmucker Hall was designated for restoration by the 1999 Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation with funding assistance by the

Gettysburg National Military Park The Gettysburg National Military Park protects and interprets the landscape of the Battle of Gettysburg, fought over three days between July 1 and July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War. The park, in the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania area, is m ...

, and in 2008 the hall's sign was designated in the

Historical Marker Database The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org) is an online database that documents locations of numerous historical markers and commemorative plaques in the United States as well as other countries. The database was launched in 2006 by computer progra ...

. In 2013, on the 150th anniversary of the battle, the Adams County Historical Society and the Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation opened the building as the Seminary Ridge Museum. The Museum houses displays about many different aspects of the battle, the seminary, the town, and the civil war, as well as offering tours of the cupola.

References

External links

Seminary Ridge Museum
- official site {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania, state=collapsed American Civil War sites American Civil War hospitals Religious buildings and structures completed in 1832 Buildings and structures in Adams County, Pennsylvania Federal architecture in Pennsylvania Historical societies in Pennsylvania Libraries in Pennsylvania Museums in Adams County, Pennsylvania School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Adams County, Pennsylvania