News and Notes - The George Spangler Farm is Open for Tours

Having a chance to breathe a bit after a marathon couple of weeks at work, I'm hoping to have part 2 of my Captain Long series up sometime tomorrow. I'm also hoping to follow up soon on my original post on the 15th Massachusetts monument.

In Gettysburg Battlefield news, the Gettysburg Foundation has opened up the George Spangler Farm to public tours, Fridays through Sundays this summer. This expansive site served as the hospital for the 11th Corps of the Army of the Potomac, and some 1,800 men (including 200 Confederates) were treated there. It is also the site where Confederate General Lewis Armistead died of wounds received during Pickett's Charge.

According to the Foundation's website shuttles will run every 30 minutes from 10:45 a.m. to 2:15. Tickets to tour the site are free but must be reserved. The Foundation acquired the property in 2008 for $2 million, and has been rehabilitating the farm to its 1863 appearance since then. Their goal is to provide a location to interpret 1860s farm life, as well as Civil War medicine and field hospital systems. Programs this summer will include living history encampments and one-hour National Park Service Ranger programs on Friday afternoons.

Visit the Foundation's website for more information about the George Spangler Farm, including resources related to the farm and detailed information on visiting.

One of the things I love about visiting Gettysburg is the range of possible experiences. We can learn about so much more than military tactics and strategy from the battlefield and its surrounding areas. Whenever anyone wonders aloud how I can go back again and again, I tell them that each trip is a new experience. I will be adding the Spangler Farm on to my list of places to visit, and major credit should go to the Foundation and the National Park Service for continuing to broaden their educational offerings, showcasing the diverse stories of the Battle of Gettysburg.