History Commons^™

A Changing Tradition Comes With A Strengthening Of Bonds, Kyle J. Shaffer

CAFE Symposium 2024

Gettysburg College has many traditions that make it unique. One tradition that may not seem unique is Family Weekend, but at Gettysburg College, there is a vast history associated with the tradition. The weekend started as two separate-day celebrations in the fall semester and spring semester.

Gettysburg College Life In Fall 1963, Mary Huegel

CAFE Symposium 2023

The 1960s were a tumultuous decade full of social change and political conflict. This project explores Gettysburg College life in the fall semester of 1963 from a variety of scopes.

Iota Of Pennsylvania Phi Beta Kappa Gettysburg College: 1923-2023, Michael Birkner, Charles H. Glatfelter

College History Publications

In observance of one hundred years as a Phi Beta Kappa chapter sheltered at Gettysburg College, the Iota of Pennsylvania chapter has published a concise historical overview of the chapter’s history.

Updating previous publications authored by Dr. Charles H. Glatfelter, longtime Iota chapter member and professor of history, for the fiftieth and seventy-fifth anniversaries, Dr. Michael Birkner, chapter historian and professor of history, has written an introductory essay that provides a new understanding of Gettysburg College’s nearly two-decade long effort to secure a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

Since its formal installation in 1923, the Iota chapter has inducted 3,337 …

Gettysburg College Journal Of The Civil War Era 2023

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

No abstract provided.

Complacency And Conformity: The Female Experience At Gettysburg College, 1956-1966, Greer Garver, Emily B. Suter

Student Publications

Women at Gettysburg College from 1956-66 received unequal treatment at a predominantly male school. Despite the 1960s being seen as a time of radical change, the majority of women on campus were content with the rules and social norms which held them in place. Changes and complaints were not widespread or outspoken, but they did exist in organizations such as the Women’s Student Government Association. Examinations of campus policies, dress codes, and dorm regulations illustrate the different standards men and women were held to on campus. Meanwhile Greek life, beauty contests, athletics and first hand accounts of social life reveal …

Ms-286: Elizabeth And Elmer Mckee, Class Of 1944, Jessica A. Cromer

All Finding Aids

This collection contains over 500 letters, 17 V-Mail, and 25 additional items, including Elmer’s college transcript, military documents, and personal narrative. The bulk of the letters are written by Elmer (Chuck) to Elizabeth (Diz), but there are over 100 letters written by Elizabeth in the closing years of this collection (1945-46). These letters provide insight into the Gettysburg College experience during the early 1940’s and the daily life of men stationed in Europe during World War II. Many of the letters depict Elmer and Elizabeth navigating their personal relationship, whilst simultaneously navigating the complex time period in which they lived. …

Redefining Gender Roles In Higher Education: Women At Gettysburg College During World War Ii, Addison E. Lomax

Student Publications

Throughout the early 20th century, the role of American women began to change. The U.S. entrance into World War II and resulting draft provided women at institutions of higher education the opportunity to develop their place on college campuses. Through analyzing yearbooks, student publications, and personal testimonies, the case of Gettysburg College provides a lens to better understand the changing dynamics on college campuses during the war years. Although men remained on the campus of Gettysburg College during the war years, the changing dynamics of the College, both academically and socially, allowed women the opportunity to increase not only their …

Epidemiology In Higher Education: Scarlet Fever At Gettysburg College, Addison E. Lomax

Student Publications

Throughout the early 20th century, the relationship between higher education and the spread of epidemic disease evolved in the United States. Two notable epidemics of scarlet fever in 1915 and 1920 serve as a lens through which the larger roles of disease and higher education can be analyzed. By assessing the roles both the administration and the students played at Gettysburg College, then Pennsylvania College, historians can understand the process of combating health crises in the future. Although the Pennsylvania College scarlet fever epidemics of 1915 and 1920 impacted campus to a smaller extent than the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the …

Martin Puryear: 40 Years Since Sentinel, Merlyn I. Maldonado Lopez, Shannon Egan

Schmucker Art Catalogs

Artist Martin Puryear’s commitment to seeing objects as connected to history and culture resonates with a moment when Gettysburg College reflected on the significance of its own historical place and time. As the College approached the sesquicentennial anniversary of its founding, it decided to mark the occasion not with a ball or parade, but with “an intelligent artifact,” a permanent marker that both recognizes its maker and offers its own history. In 1980, Associate Dean of the College Robert Nordvall suggested to President Charles Glassick that they ought to commission a monumental sculpture on campus. Glassick then created the Ad …

Change Happens Here, Musselman Library, Gettysburg College

Other Exhibits & Events

The posters in this series focus on parts of the Gettysburg College story that have been minimized or neglected altogether in previous histories – particularly with respect to underrepresented groups, issues, and activisms. Based on sometimes incomplete sources, they represent imperfect knowledge and are not comprehensive. They are a beginning, not an ending.

For that reason, we invite your feedback – corrections, additional information, people and events not pictured. We also invite contributions of relevant documents, photos, etc. to the College Archives, or via our digital repository, “What We Did Here: Activism at Gettysburg College.”

The story of …

The Unfinished Sermon: A Tribute To Rev. John Vannorsdall, Devin Mckinney

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

This volume is collected tribute to Reverend John Vannorsdall, who served as chaplain for Gettysburg College, 1962-1976. It includes excerpts of Vannorsdall's writings and interviews, as well as reflections from students, colleagues, and family.

Gettysburg College Journal Of The Civil War Era 2021

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

No abstract provided.

Gettysburg Historical Journal 2008

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

Complete issue of The Gettysburg Historical Journal 2008.

Gettysburg College Journal Of The Civil War Era 2020

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

No abstract provided.

Ashley Luskey, Assistant Director Of The Civil War Institute, Musselman Library, Ashley Whitehead Luskey

Next Page

In this first Next Page column of the new academic year, Ashley Luskey, Assistant Director of the Civil War Institute, shares which weathered volume she reads each October, her favorite book from her 9th grade English class, and explains her long-time fascination with Varina Davis, wife of Confederate president Jefferson Davis.

The Great War And The Digital Humanities: Creating A Project And Building A Team, Ian A. Isherwood, Amy E. Lucadamo, R.C. Miessler

History Faculty Publications

Using the framework of The First World War Letters of H.J.C. Peirs: A Digital History, this workshop will give guidance for team-building and project management, provide examples of Digital Humanities tools and methods that can be used with First World War collections, and outline pedagogical uses for digital history in the classroom.

The First World War Letters Of H.J.C. Peirs: A Digital History, Ian A. Isherwood, Amy E. Lucadamo, R.C. Miessler

History Faculty Publications

This poster provides a high-level overview of The First World War Letters of H.J.C. Peirs: A Digital History project, giving information on its creation, the collection of letters, how it has used digital mapping, and its use in the classroom.

Gettysburg College Journal Of The Civil War Era 2019

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

No abstract provided.

Ms-233: Papers Of Theta Chi, Lindsay R. Richwine

All Finding Aids

The material in this collection documents the foundation of the Star and Crescent Club, its assimilation into a national fraternity, and the financial and social ventures of the fraternity through the early 1990s. Illustrated in papers, blueprints, photo albums, and clothing, this collection is interesting not only for Theta Chi brothers curious about the history of their organization at Gettysburg, but for anyone wishing to follow the development of fraternity culture at Gettysburg since the middle of the 20th century. In addition to the materials housed in Special Collections, donor Jeff Glisson also intends to send related materials to Theta …

Sororities At Gettysburg College During The Haaland Era, 1990-2004, Elizabeth C. Hobbs, Madeleine M. Neiman

Student Publications

From 1990 to 2004, Gettysburg College’s Greek system dominated student social life and, due to its prominence (and notoriety), attracted the attention of not only students but also faculty and administration during the era of President Gordon A. Haaland. Although fraternities were often the more influential and problematic Greek organizations on campus, Gettysburg’s sororities played a major role in the lives of female students -- offering women a chance to join a community of other women, participate in philanthropy events, and engage in Greek social life. Throughout the Haaland era, Gettysburg’s sororities consisted of a combination of Sigma Kappa, Alpha …

Expansion And Acquisition: The Built Environment Under Gettysburg College President, Gordon Haaland, 1990 To 2004, Hannah M. Labovitz, Lillian Shea

Student Publications

Gordon Haaland presided over Gettysburg College from 1990 to 2004. His goals included improving the national status of the college by increasing the student body, developing the academic departments, and creating a dynamic campus community. This paper outlines Haaland's attempts to fulfill these goals through a plethora of construction projects, ranging from building a state of the art science center and extensively renovating a historic theater, to updating dormitories and revitalizing the appearance of campus. Some of the construction included projects that were planned under the previous president and carried out by Haaland, as well as scandals that accompanied these …

Ms-239: The Ken Bruno Collection Of Louis A. Parsons, Karen Dupell Drickamer

All Finding Aids

The bulk of this collection contains family correspondence as well as financial and legal correspondence, and documents. Parsons handled estate matters for family in Iowa and California. These materials supplement the previous acquisition of Parsons material in MS-203 Louis A. Parsons Papers and fill in a few gaps. There is one folder of miscellaneous writings of Parsons’, mostly fragments.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections …

The Plains Of Mars, European War Prints, 1500-1825, Melissa Casale, Bailey R. Harper, Felicia M. Else, Shannon Egan

Schmucker Art Catalogs

Over fifty original prints by renowned artists from the sixteenth through the early nineteenth century, including Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Théodore Géricault, and Francisco de Goya, among many others, are featured inThe Plains of Mars: European War Prints, 1500-1825. On loan from the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the works of art included in this exhibition examine the topics of war and peace, propaganda, heroism, brutal conflicts, and the harrowing aftermath of battle. Spanning from the Renaissance to the Romantic periods and encompassing a wide geographic scope including Italy, Germany, France, Spain, the Low …

Face To Face, Carl Beam And Andy Warhol, Keira B. Koch

Schmucker Art Catalogs

Keira Koch ’19 examines representations of indigenous cultures in prints and photographs by American artist Andy Warhol and First Nations artist Carl Beam. In this comparative study, Koch considers the topic of appropriation and re-appropriation of Native imagery. Warhol, as a non-Indigenous artist, is using this imagery to highlight the dominant narrative of the American West. Beam, however, incorporates photographs of Native subjects and traditional narratives by re-appropriating those images to tell a distinctly Native narrative. This exhibition invites discussion about the role of contemporary indigenous artists and how indigenous identities are expressed in contemporary art. This exhibition intersects with …

The City: Art And The Urban Environment, Angelique J. Acevedo, Sidney N. Caccioppoli, Abigail A. Coakley, Chris J. Condon, Alyssa Dimaria, Carolyn Hauk, Lucas Kiesel, Noa Leibson, Erin E. O'Brien, Elise A. Quick, Sara E. Rinehart, Emily N. Roush, Shannon Egan

Schmucker Art Catalogs

The City: Art and the Urban Environment is the fifth annual exhibition curated by students enrolled in the Art History Methods class. This exhibition draws on the students’ newly developed expertise in art-historical methodologies and provides an opportunity for sustained research and an engaged curatorial experience. Working with a selection of paintings, prints, and photographs, students Angelique Acevedo ’19, Sidney Caccioppoli ’21, Abigail Coakley ’20, Chris Condon ’18, Alyssa DiMaria ’19, Carolyn Hauk ’21, Lucas Kiesel ’20, Noa Leibson ’20, Erin O’Brien ’19, Elise Quick ’21, Sara Rinehart ’19, and Emily Roush ’21 carefully consider depictions of the urban environment …

Ms – 229: Gordon Haaland Personal Papers, G. Ronald Couchman

All Finding Aids

This collection contains the personal papers of Gordon A. Haaland, produced and acquired during his many years as a college professor and as an administrator at the University of New Hampshire, at the University of Maine at Orono, and at Gettysburg College. What is striking about the material is how Haaland remained true to his academic background in social psychology, remaining current in the field and applying the theories of that discipline to the tasks and challenges that he faced as a college administrator and educational leader. The collection is organized into four series: Series I: Pre-Gettysburg College; Series II: …

The Camel Corps Experiment, Abigail K. Major

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

“Did you know there was a push to create a Camel Corps right before the beginning of the American Civil War?” This certainly seems like an interesting piece of trivia to share around the dinner table, but what was the Camel Corps and what insights can it provide on U.S. military thinking in the mid-19th century? I believe that the Camel Corps Experiment, regardless of whether it was deemed an utter failure or not, demonstrated progressive military thought and the desire of its advocates to explore advancements in both mobility and technology for military practices. [excerpt]

Your Commencement Weekend Guide To Visiting Gettysburg, Abigail K. Major

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Commencement weekend is nearing, which has inspired us to compile a list of Civil War activities and programs you can take part in during your visit. The following events and activities are suitable whether you are a Civil War buff, general history enthusiast, or are just curious about learning more about the Civil War. [excerpt]

Senior Reflection: Our Time As Fellows, Anika N. Jensen

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

As Jeff, Jen, and I move ever closer to commencement, we want to take a moment to reflect on our time as Civil War Institute fellows. We have been part of this fellows program for three years and spent countless hours researching topics we are passionate about, engaging with the Civil War community, and creating an active academic atmosphere for our fellow budding historians. Our time at Gettysburg may be coming to an end, but the experiences we have had here will continue to shape our futures. Here is what the CWI fellowship means to us. [excerpt]

Special Collections And Student Curators: Public History Through Primary Sources, Carolyn Sautter

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Musselman Library's Special Collections and College Archives at Gettysburg College has worked with over 70 student curators on art gallery exhibitions and public history exhibits. These curatorial experiences provide hands-on interactions with artifacts and artworks and high-impact collaborations among students, interns, archivists, librarians, historians, digital projects specialists, gallery directors, conservators, and preparators. The final result is often breathtaking and always informative. This presentation discusses practical recommendations and workflows for well timed, well researched, and effectively installed student curated exhibits.