SEPTEMBER 9 & 10, 2023

The 62nd family has had a long-standing relationship with the Gettysburg Foundation for events and activities, including Volunteer Work Day, the Remembrance Day Illumination, and now, the Children of Gettysburg-1863…when our friend and museum manager Bethany Yingling contacted us about setting up a living history encampment to support the museum, we were very excited for the opportunity…for many years the Rupp House has been a notable stop for anyone visiting historic Gettysburg, and in recent years, it was the headquarters for the Foundation…

Two years ago, the house was transformed into an interactive display of the experiences of the children who lived in Gettysburg at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg…this is a fantastic source of information and personal stories, which reaches into the hearts of everyone who enters, but especially the children, as it teaches them many aspects and lessons, taught by the allowing them to become a child of Gettysburg, through the interactive nature of the museum…

Of course, having a living history family camped in the side lawn, including children of similar ages, added to the event for all who visited during the weekend…

Throughout the weekend, we were happy to demonstrate many aspects of “camp life”, including cooking [and doing dishes!], playing “rounders” and games, as well as the “soldier’s life”, by demonstrating some of the drilling, marching and soldiering lessons that so many young men and boys were quickly taught…

And once again, this event proved to be a source of great joy, as we were able to make a connection with another family member–another descendant of a 62nd Volunteer…it never ceases to amaze me how the Lord puts us right where we need to be, and our “family circle” continues to expand through our events…not only do we get to meet fellow descendants, and share tears and stories of how our ancestors served together, but several times in the last year, we have witnessed connections made within those families, either at or through our living history events…

It is my hope to start a page within this blog site soon that will share these connections, and stories, and how they came together…as I have always said, those are the moments that make each event a special and lasting memory…our visit to the “Children of Gettysburg-1863” was no exception!

Photos for this post were provided by Katie Wolfe, Amy Skeel and Georgia LaCroix