Natural History: View otherworldly rock formations, dinosaur tracks, and a real meteorite. Gallery Highlights: Devil’s Den & Welcome Film; Dinosaur Footprints (touchable)

Native Americans: Discover the lives of local Indigenous peoples. Gallery Highlight: Native American Cooking Stone (touchable)

Life on the Frontier: Hear the gripping stories of murder, captivity, and colonial land disputes. Gallery Highlights: Mason-Dixon Line Marker; Mary Jemison Film

Revolutionary America: Take a seat in Samuel Gettys Tavern and eavesdrop on 18th-century conversations. Gallery Highlights: Original Animal Hide Map of Gettysburg; The Tavern Experience: Colonial Conversations (interactive)

A Growing Community: Explore local ties to Thaddeus Stevens, Francis Scott Key, and the Underground Railroad. Gallery Highlight: Francis Scott Key Document

The Civil War: Learn the stories of local soldiers and civilians who fought for freedom and the Union. Gallery Highlights: Mag Palm’s Rocking Chair; Gettysburg Landscape Mural

The War Comes Home: Discover how ordinary families endured the Civil War’s largest battle. Gallery Highlights: John Burns Rifle; Dawn of Battle Film

Caught in the Crossfire Experience: Step inside a home trapped between the two armies and experience the horrific sights and sounds of war. 

The Aftermath: Imagine local residents’ encounters with death, disease, and destruction while viewing battle-damaged artifacts. Gallery Highlights: Battle Damage Wall (touchable); Sherfy Farm Witness Tree (touchable)

The Address: Stand in the crowd and reflect on Lincoln’s speech through the words of actual eyewitnesses. Gallery Highlights: Gettysburg Address Artifacts; Witnessing Lincoln Film 

Preservation and Progress: Experience the changing battlefield and community at the dawn of the 20th century. Gallery Highlights: Spanish Flu Gurney; Tourism Film

The Recent Past: Learn about Eisenhower and his contemporaries, who shaped the past century of Gettysburg’s history. Gallery Highlights: Eisenhower Artifacts; Presidents at Gettysburg; Lasting Legacy Film

Alexander Dobbin Special Exhibit Gallery: The Spirit of 1776
The Spirit of 1776 commemorates the 250th anniversary of American independence by exploring how the ideals of liberty and self-government reached the frontier community of Gettysburg. Long before the famous Civil War battle, settlers in this region were already connected to the events and debates of the American Revolutionary War. Taverns, churches, and homes became places where news spread, militia companies formed, and ordinary people engaged with the revolutionary cause. Through rare artifacts, personal letters, and stories of local soldiers and families, The Spirit of 1776 reveals how the struggle for independence shaped everyday life in the region. It also explores how those founding ideals were remembered and celebrated by later generations. From the patriots of 1776 to the Union flags raised over Gettysburg on July 4, 1863, the exhibit shows how the spirit of the Revolution continued to resonate in this historic town for decades.

William C. Darrah: Gettysburg’s Scholar of Science and Photography
Throughout his life, longtime Gettysburg resident William “Bill” Culp Darrah engaged in a myriad of academic and personal endeavors, establishing himself as an authority in various fields, notably paleobotany, the study of fossilized plants, and the study of early photography. Darrah attended the University of Pittsburgh, earning a Bachelor of Science in Geology with a minor in Botany in 1931. In 1951, he relocated his family to Gettysburg, where he quickly became an integral member of the community. During his time in Gettysburg, Darrah immersed himself in the study of early photography, amassing an impressive collection of over 110,000 stereographs and 57,000 cartes de visite. This exhibit highlights significant aspects of the fascinating life of William C. Darrah and can be found in the concourse area to the right of the museum entrance.

Black Voices of Adams County
Black Voices is a rotating display curated by the descendants of historical figures in Adams County’s Black community. The exhibit expands upon themes featured in Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum, allowing community partners to continue the conversation with additional images, artifacts, and stories that highlight historic people and sites significant to Adams County’s Black heritage. This display is located in the concourse area to the right of the museum entrance. 

The Eisenhower Collection
From 1950 until his death in 1969, President Dwight David Eisenhower was the most famous resident of Adams County. Here, he conducted the business of government, entertained dignitaries and foreign leaders, recuperated from a serious heart attack, and enjoyed his retirement years alongside Mamie (Doud) Eisenhower, his wife of more than 52 years. The president’s son, John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower (1922-2013), and his wife Barbara (1926-2014) also made Gettysburg their home from 1959 until the summer of 1964, raising their four children – David, Anne, Susan and Mary Jean – just a short distance from Ike and Mamie’s farm. The exhibit includes personal items, gifts given to the Eisenhowers by foreign heads of state, and three of Ike’s original oil paintings, which were recently donated to Gettysburg History by the Eisenhower family.