Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center

05/28/2026

We're thrilled to be part of this event with our friends at Bobblehead George later this year!

We are happy to announce our upcoming dinner & fundraiser. The event will be held on November 5, 2026 at John Wright Restaurant. John Wright's executive chef, Jim Switzenberger, will prepare a menu honoring the tastes of the Founders!
The evening will include an panel discussion featuring:
Jim McClure, Scott Mingus, Sr., Dominish Miller, Codie Eash, & State Representative Joe D'Orsie!
Tickets can be purchased at: https://www.universe.com/events/america-250-dinner-dialogue-tickets-N9TJZP

05/27/2026

Join us for another "Revolution on the Ridge" program this week, as Codie Eash presents "The Captain, the Colonel, and the Culpeper Minutemen: John Buford's Family in the Revolutionary War." This program is FREE and meets outdoors at 3:30pm on Friday, May 29, at the Luther Statue. Chairs are recommended.

On July 1, 1863, Brig. Gen. John Buford had his finest hour, commanding United States cavalry in the opening hours of the Battle of Gettysburg. In serving his country amid the American Civil War, Buford carried on a military pedigree that went back to the country’s founding days, as the grandson and grandnephew of a pair of officers in the War of American Independence, amid a family tree full of martial stock. Join Codie Eash, SRMEC Director of Education and Interpretation, as he explores the Revolutionary War connections to the soldier most associated with Seminary Ridge.

Can't be here in person? Keep an eye out afterward for a recording of this program on YouTube!

05/25/2026

On the first national Memorial Day (then called Decoration Day) three years after the Civil War, the Rev. Dr. James Allen Brown delivered Gettysburg’s keynote address at Soldiers’ National Cemetery. Brown presently served as president of the Lutheran Seminary and, during the war, previously served as a United States Army chaplain, first for the 87th Pennsylvania Infantry and subsequently at the General Hospital in nearby York.

On May 30, 1868, Brown spoke to an audience that included local citizens, dignitaries, musicians, veterans, and soldiers’ orphans. "The noble dead, who fell here and on these neighboring hills, need no eulogium from our lips," he declared. "They have secured the proudest of all earthly honors, and their tomb stones bear this inscription--THEY DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY."

To hear a recital of Brown's entire speech, which lasted roughly four minutes, view a video we produced in 2024, titled "Keynote Address at Gettysburg's First Memorial Day (1868)," on our YouTube channel, linked in the comments below.

05/20/2026

We hope to see you there!

Mark your calendars for Friday June 19th at the Gettysburg Rec Park for a special showing of Glory! The movie begins at 8:15PM. Come out early and meet our friends at the Adams County Office for Aging, Inc. and learn about the great things they do for our community.

This is part of the larger Juneteenth Weekend in Gettysburg spearheaded by Destination Gettysburg. See all the planned events here: https://destinationgettysburg.com/juneteenth-gettysburg/

05/20/2026

PROGRAM ALERT: As the Civil War raged into its fourth year, Americans faced a choice that would define the nation's future: re-elect Abraham Lincoln or pursue peace with the Confederacy. The presidential election of 1864 may be the most consequential in U.S. history. Join us as Codie Eash, Director of Education and Interpretation at Gettysburg's Seminary Ridge Museum, explores this pivotal moment.
For details or to register, go to yorkhistorycenter.org/CWRT1864.

05/13/2026

Want an opportunity to get an up-close look at General George Meade's slouch hat? Here's your chance! Our Meet the Collectors event is next Friday, May 22. Join us for this and other special artifacts not currently on display!

Find it in our Events or by clicking the link in the comments below.

05/11/2026

Ridge on the Road: Codie Eash, SRMEC Director of Education and Interpretation, will be presenting "The Nation Shall Live and Slavery Shall Die: The Presidential Election of 1864" to the York Civil War Roundtable next Wednesday, May 20. If you're in the York area, the program starts at 7pm at the York County History Center.

As the Civil War raged into its fourth year, Americans faced a choice that would define the nation's future: re-elect Abraham Lincoln or pursue peace with the Confederacy. The presidential election of 1864 may be the most consequential in U.S. history. Join us as Codie Eash, Director of Education and Interpretation at Gettysburg's Seminary Ridge Museum, explores this pivotal moment.

The link to register is in the comments.

05/08/2026

On Friday, May 22, from 5:00pm-7:00pm, join us for Meet the Collectors, an exciting, one-of-a-kind, evening of discovery in which some of the collectors, who have graciously loaned some of the artifacts currently on display in Seminary Ridge Museum, will share rare artifacts not available for public viewing.

For $45 per person, enjoy an exclusive, up-close look at remarkable pieces from private collections, hear the stories behind them straight from their caretakers, and experience a uniquely personal connection to history.

Featured items include:
-General George Gordon Meade's felted wool slouch hat
-Presentation sword and scabbard of Col. Thomas E. Barker, 12th New Hampshire Vol. Inf.
-Congressional Medal of Honor of Pvt. Joseph B. Goodwin, 27th Maine Inf.
-Letters by Gettysburg civilian nurse Sallie Myers
-Images and orders signed by General John Reynolds
-Rare items from the children of Amos Humiston
And more!

Register at seminaryridgemuseum.org/events, or by visiting the link in the comments below.

05/07/2026

Join us for another "Fridays on the Ridge" program this week, as Codie Eash presents "'The Glare of the Conflagration': How Wrightsville Impacted Gettysburg and Its Aftermath." This program is FREE and meets outdoors at 3:30pm on Friday, May 8, at the Luther Statue. Chairs are recommended.

The burning of the Wrightsville-Columbia Bridge on June 28, 1863, set into motion a series of military events that reverberated throughout south-central Pennsylvania. Beyond affecting those who fought and lived on either side of the Susquehanna River, the blaze influenced the maneuver of two massive Civil War armies, impeded the ability of aid workers to traverse a mile-wide waterway, and swayed both early and long-term interpretations of the Gettysburg Campaign.

Codie will explore how events in Wrightsville impacted soldiers and civilians—men and women, Black and white—throughout the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath, including here at the Lutheran Seminary and along Seminary Ridge.