Evergreen Cemetery | |
cemetery | |
Ginnie Wade Monument, location of platform for Gettysburg Address and Soldiers National Monument (L to R) are marked on the horizon. The oldest section (A) of the cemetery appears behind the Parrott rifled cannon.
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Country | United States |
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State | Pennsylvania |
County | Adams |
Township | Cumberland |
Part of | Gettysburg Battlefield |
Borders on |
4
|
Historic District Nearest town |
Gettysburg (75000155) Gettysburg, Pennsylvania |
Location | 799 Baltimore Pike |
- coordinates | 39°49′15″N 77°13′45″W / 39.820764°N 77.22928°WCoordinates: 39°49′15″N 77°13′45″W / 39.820764°N 77.22928°W |
Original area Current area |
17.65 acres (7.1 ha) 0 acres (0 ha) |
Incorporated | 1854 March 3 |
- Gatehouse | 1855 |
- Lodge | 1885 |
- Expansion | |
- ACW memorials | 1901: Jennie Wade 1904: John L. Burns 2002: Women's Memorial |
Presidents | 1854: David McConaughy 1869: J. L. Schick 1880: Robt. G. McCreary 1885: Dr. J. A. Swope … |
Keepers, Caretakers, & Superintendents |
1862: Peter Thorn 1863: Elizabeth Thorn 1973: Howard Kitzmiller 1980: Arthur L. Kennell 1991: Brian Kennell |
Find A Grave CRid | 44774 (19 famous interments) |
Evergreen Cemetery – formerly called Citizen's Cemetery and Ever Green Cemetery – is a historic 29.12 acre private cemetery located just outside Gettysburg Borough, in Cumberland Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Gettysburg Battlefield Historic District, and is surrounded by Gettysburg National Military Park and Soldiers' National Cemetery.
The cemetery played a strategic role in the July 1 to 3, 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. Four months after the battle, at the dedication of the immediately-adjacent National Cemetery, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his "Gettysburg Address" from a platform in Evergreen Cemetery.
The Ever Green Cemetery Association of Gettysburg was established at a November 29, 1853 meeting. The association managed the property and oversaw selection of its caretakers. By April 3, 1854, 118 lots had been sold, and the association members' first payments were due. The first interment took place on October 29. Opening ceremonies were held on November 7, 1854, and in his dedication address Reverend John H. C. Dosh asked, "Could a more lovely spot have been chosen?"
The Evergreen Cemetery gatehouse was designed by Philadelphia architect Stephen Decatur Button, built by local contractors George and Henry Chritzman, and completed in November 1855. The Italianate gatehouse served as the caretaker residence.
Evergreen Cemetery is eponymous with Cemetery Hill, the landform noted as the keystone of the Union position during the Battle of Gettysburg. Major-General Oliver Otis Howard lined the cemetery's high ground with cannons, turning it into an "artillery platform," and made its gatehouse into XI Corps (Union Army) headquarters.