Gettysburg will continue its popular Winter Lecture Series in 2023. Featuring some of the best National Park Service Rangers and historians from across the region, this winter series of one-hour talks will examine a wide array of subjects related to the American Civil War and Gettysburg history including archeology at Little Round Top, the early life of Robert E. Lee, the fighting on Culp’s Hill and compelling research on Lincoln at Gettysburg. These lectures illuminate the different events and personalities of this pivotal chapter in American history.
The Winter Lecture Series programs take place from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from Jan. 7 through Feb. 26, 2023, (except for Sunday, Feb. 12) in the theater at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center. Free tickets are required and will be available on the day of each program on a first come, first serve basis.
For those unable to attend in person, select lectures will be live streamed to the Gettysburg National Military Park YouTube page. For more information, and the complete program schedule, visit nps.gov/gett.
Gettysburg National Military Park will also start the new year with engaging and inclusive family events. On Saturdays from Jan. 7 through March 25, 2023, families can spend weekends at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center for special family programming. Gettysburg National Military Park's winter family programming includes the following winter reading adventures:
The History Kids Reading Adventures Club, for families with children ages 4 to 10, returns to the Museum & Visitor Center this year with a Superheroes of History theme. Book readings will focus on such famous people as Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Jane Goodall, Neil Armstrong and many others. Each Saturday morning from 11 until 11:45 a.m. in Jan. and Feb., families can join a park educator to hear a new book, with pages projected onto the movie screen. Then, families can participate in a related indoor or outdoor family-led adventure. This reading program teaches budding historians about important events and important people in history with a focus on the Civil War era.
For older students of history, Gettysburg National Military Park will host a new Time Travelers' Club each Saturday in March from 11 until 11:45 a.m. in the Ford Education Center at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center. Recommended for children/youth ages 10 to 14, Time Travelers will read and discuss The Not So Boring Letters of Private Nobody by Matthew Landis. This book tells the story of twelve-year-old Oliver, who is obsessed with studying the Civil War. Oliver is partnered with Ella, who is not as interested in studying, for a class history project, and they undertake research of a soldier who served in the American Civil War.
The National Park Service winter programming at Gettysburg is free of charge. For more information on these and other family focused programs at Gettysburg National Military Park, visit nps.gov/gett or email Gett_Education@nps.gov.
Read the National Park Service press release.