Winnie and Me 2018-2021: Gettysburg, PA 10/10/2019

At Gettysburg/Battlefield KOA - Thursday 10/10/2019

Thanks to "our driver", Tony, the six (6) of us were able to visit the sights
of Gettysburg each day during our stay. Today was an 8 mile trip to the
Military Park Visitor Center.

Today we concentrated on the museum and visitor center.
Tomorrow we'll take the guided Battlefield Bus Tour.

The most impressive experience was trying to comprehend the accomplishment of artist, Paul Philippoteaux who, in 1879, came to the US and was hired by entrepreneurs to paint the event for display in Chicago. The Cyclorama is 377 feet long, 42 feet high and weighs 12½ tons. The link to the video clip depicting the three day battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863 gives excellent detail of the battle. Photos that follow is my attempt to capture the spectacle while walking around the 360° view. Click on THIS LINK to get feel for what went into the creation of this masterpiece.

In the main hall stands the trunk of a tree with shells embedded
from the battle.

Donations to maintain the facility that are offered are collected by state. An interesting
look to see which state is filling up--California had the most. You can
view along the top row those states not well represented by $$.

Strolling through the museum there is an impressive detailed display of weapons and artillery .

Outside, a bronze statue of Lincoln sits and beckons photo ops.

And so, we took advantage.
L to R: Ray, Abe, Roberta, Doreen, ACR, Sue and Tony
And for those who asked yourselves, who took the photo?

We enlisted the services of these kind folks, for whom we returned the favor.
L to R. ???, Abe, ??? and ???

LUNCH TIME

We traveled into town and dined in the oldest building in Gettysburg, The Dobbin House.

Baked King's Onion Soup
Freshly made with beef and a variety of cheeses on top, baked in a 'quick' oven
to succulent tenderness and served up hot and delicious in a tureen with sippets.
(Sippets = small pieces of bread or toast used to dip into soup or sauce or a a garnish)

From Dobbin's Deli there's a choice of ten sandwiches. Did you know? In memory of Sir John Montague, Fourth Earl of Sandwich, who, in the late 1700's originated the "sandwich" in order to have one hand free at the gambling table.

The real treat enjoyed by the ladies was the house Rum Bellies Vengeance...the drink of the Dobbin House. "An absolutely incredible concoction of light and dark rums, exotic liqueurs, and fruit juices, the potency of which mandates a limit of two (2) per customer. Truly, a genuine bargain." Yes, you're allowed only two. We have proof of why that is so.

Upstairs a gift shop. I entered, gave a 360 and retreated.
Elapsed time? One minute.

While sitting outside on a bench waiting for the shoppers, I saw what
looked like an unsettled argument directly across the street.

A Navion (cousin to my View) drove in looking for a parking spot.

After lunch we stopped by the home of Jennie Wade (actually the home of her sister to whom Jennie, her mother and two younger brothers traveled to assist with her newborn baby). She was the only civilian killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. The tragic event occurred on July 3rd, 1863 as she was kneading bread in the kitchen. During those three days of fighting more than 150 bullets hit their home. At the age of 20, she was killed instantly by a stray bullet that traveled through the kitchen and parlor doors and hit her. It pierced her left shoulder blade, went through her heart and ended up in her corset. On July 4th, her mother baked 15 loaves of bread with the dough Jennie kneaded. In 1882, the United States Senate voted to grant Wade's mother a pension, citing that her daughter had been killed serving the Union cause – baking bread for the soldiers.