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Presentation to the
at the Fort Myer Officers' Club in Arlington, VA
on March 10. 2020
The Shriver House in the historic district of Gettysburg is the perfect setting to tell the "civilian" side of the Battle of Gettysburg. The house offers extraordinary insights into the lives of the people of the town and how the Civil War, and in particular the Battle of Gettysburg, affected them. These insights are told through the eyes of the family who lived in the house during the battle: George and Hettie Shriver and their two young children, Sadie and Mollie.
The Shriver House itself, which was built shortly before the war began, initially served as a saloon and bowling alley. During the War, Confederate troops occupied the house, and the attic was used by sharpshooters.
The Shriver House itself, which was built shortly before the war began, initially served as a saloon and bowling alley. During the War, Confederate troops occupied the house, and the attic was used by sharpshooters.
The presentation will cover the restoration of the house as close as possible to its 1860's appearance after being abandoned for almost 30 years. According to Nancie, the work began in January 1996 and was a grubby, backbreaking, eight-to-ten-hour-a-day, six-day-a-week undertaking, but it was definitely a labor of love. That winter also brought record breaking low temperatures, more than a hundred inches of snow and two major floods that made national news.
But the rewards far outweighed the obstacles, because each day brought about exciting new discoveries. In addition to learning more about the Shriver family, they found countless treasures within the house - behind walls, underneath fireplace hearths, and below floorboards. Among the many artifacts discovered were Civil War cartridges and percussion caps, toys, a "good luck" shoe, and Civil War medical supplies.
The restoration earned the Shriver House Museum the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Historic Preservation Award. The Museum has also been used as a filming site for numerous television productions, including those aired by PBS, A&E, HGTV, BBC, CNN, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel.
But the rewards far outweighed the obstacles, because each day brought about exciting new discoveries. In addition to learning more about the Shriver family, they found countless treasures within the house - behind walls, underneath fireplace hearths, and below floorboards. Among the many artifacts discovered were Civil War cartridges and percussion caps, toys, a "good luck" shoe, and Civil War medical supplies.
The restoration earned the Shriver House Museum the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Historic Preservation Award. The Museum has also been used as a filming site for numerous television productions, including those aired by PBS, A&E, HGTV, BBC, CNN, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel.
About the Speaker:
Nancie Gudmestad currently serves as the Director of the Shriver House Museum, which offers tours of the house and the surrounding historic area.
Nancie is also the author of a book on the Shriver family, The Shrivers’ Story: Eyewitnesses to the Battle of Gettysburg, now in its sixth printing.
Nancie and her husband Del moved to Gettysburg in 1984 and, prior to purchasing the Shriver Houese, opened the first Bed & Breakfast in town, The Old Appleford Inn. They sold the Inn in 1989 and built Mulligan MacDuffer Adventure Golf, a 36 hole miniature golf course, which closed in 2017 after 30 years in business. The American Battlefield Trust plans to restore the golf course to its 1863 battlefield appearance.
Nancie is also the author of a book on the Shriver family, The Shrivers’ Story: Eyewitnesses to the Battle of Gettysburg, now in its sixth printing.Nancie and her husband Del moved to Gettysburg in 1984 and, prior to purchasing the Shriver Houese, opened the first Bed & Breakfast in town, The Old Appleford Inn. They sold the Inn in 1989 and built Mulligan MacDuffer Adventure Golf, a 36 hole miniature golf course, which closed in 2017 after 30 years in business. The American Battlefield Trust plans to restore the golf course to its 1863 battlefield appearance.
For more information about the Shriver House, contact Nancie at:
Nancie W. Gudmestad
Founder and Director
SHRIVER HOUSE MUSEUM
309 Baltimore Street
Gettysburg, PA 17325
www.shriverhouse.org
www.shriverhouse.org
Phone: 717-338-2800
Email: mail@shriverhouse.org
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