Downtown Gettysburg

Civil War bullet holes in Farnsworth House.

OK, I'm settled in here in Gettysburg and have gotten out and about a bit.  I added a pic of Sapper and I that Raven took at the opening dinner to the last post.  That was an easy day of riding in good weather even though we had hit a snag with the truck fire.

Yesterday, quite a few folks from our group straggled into town and we all ended up touring different sites at our own paces.  We only walked the main street (battlefield tours are today), but there was plenty to see and do right on Baltimore Street. 

The street is lined with old brick buildings bearing a placard designating it as a Civil War Building.  One of those buildings was the Farnsworth House.  Built in 1810, this house was the residence of Catherine Sweney and her daughter Lizzie when Confederate sharpshooters occupied it in 1863.  They fled the strategically located two and a half story brick house before a 2-day barrage of fire from Union forces left approximately 150 bullet holes in the house.

Although not quite so historic, one of the ice cream parlors we visited provided us with tasty treats ranging from caramel apples, to hot fudge sundaes (extra hot fudge on mine of course :-)) 

One of the more entertaining stops was the Gettysburg Museum of History.  When we walked in, some of our group felt like they knew the guy behind the counter for some reason.   As it turns out, several of us had seen an episode of American Pickers that highlighted this little museum on one of their shows.  The place had some pretty rare, though sometimes random, pieces of history.  From an American flag flown over Pearl Harbor on the day of the Japanese bombing, to the original X-rays that were used to confirm Adolph Hitler's identity, to Evil Knievel memorabilia.  Random, yet fascinating!

We stopped in several museums and bookstores, one of which I picked up a copy of the book "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane.  I fancy myself a fairly well-read person, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I have never read this classic.  I plan to remedy that deficiency on the remainder of this trip.

The rest of the day consisted of sightseeing and shopping.  We ended the day with over a dozen of us gather at the historic Dobbin House Tavern for supper.  Built in 1776, this one time home is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Not only was it pretty cool to dine in such an old, historic structure, the food was incredible.  They bake all their own breads which are served prior to the meal and were delicious.  My main entre' of roast duck was prepared perfectly.  Of course, we all had to stroll back down the street after dinner for dessert at the same ice cream parlor we had visited earlier in the day!

OK, I'll end this post with a pic of me at a boutique that appealed to the FitHippie side of me :-)  As we attend meetings and tour the battlefields, I hope that you have a great day and find some adventure in the world around you.