The Wills House at Gettysburg

When Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg in November 1863, to dedicate the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, he stayed with attorney David Wills and his family, who occupied one of Gettysburg’s finest dwellings on York Street and the Town Square. It is believed the President put the finishing touches on the Gettysburg Address while at the Wills House. His room was on the second floor over Wills’ law office facing the square.

Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Tim Smith, who wrote this issue’s feature on Lincoln at Gettysburg as seen through the eyes of local residents, says that in the early 1900’s the Wills House was purchased by P. W. Stallsmith, “who established a sort of exhibit in the room where Lincoln slept.” By 1938 “several rooms on the second story were opened to the public and converted into a full scale Lincoln Room Museum.” I remember visiting the Wills House in the 1960’s with my parents and looking into that room.

While the second floor was converted to a museum, of sorts, the main level was gutted. Walls were removed so that a retail outlet could be established, and the grand staircase that had stood inside the main entrance on York Street, most likely since 1818, when the house was built, was torn down. Now the walls on the ground floor and the staircase are being rebuilt.

A lot of new things have occurred at Gettysburg during the 145th Anniversary year of the battle and famous Address. The new Museum and Visitor Center opened in April; the Cyclorama painting by Paul Philip-poteaux depicting the Battle of Gettysburg, after a $15 million restoration was unveiled at the new facility in September; and the Wills House is undergoing a major renovation, slated to be completed by Lincoln’s 200th birthday in February 2009.

The Wills House project is a joint effort of the National Park Service and the Main Street Gettysburg organization. The Wills House, a unit of Gettysburg National Military Park, will also be the town’s Visitor Information center, which presently operates out of the old Gettysburg Railroad Station on Carlisle Street. Grand Opening ceremonies for the renovated Wills House are planned for February 12-16, 2009.

editor