Celebrating George Shriver's 175th Birthday

Free tours to those with a Gettysburg Address
 

Gettysburg, PA – The Shriver House Museum invites you to celebrate George Washington Shriver’s 175th birthday at his home on Baltimore Street in Gettysburg on Wednesday, July 27th. The celebration includes a complimentary tour of George Shriver’s home as well as birthday cake and pink lemonade for anyone with a Gettysburg address. For those without a Gettysburg address, look for the secret password available to those who ‘like’ the Shriver House Museum on Facebook. Thirty minute guided tours of the Shriver’s home will begin every half-hour starting at 10 am; the last tour will start at 4:30 pm. Space is limited to twenty visitors per tour.

 George’s grandfather, Lewis P. Shriver, purchased several hundred acres of farmland from the ‘Manor of the Maske’ which was owned by the sons of William Penn. The farm was situated in the area south of Gettysburg known as Greenmount. The beautiful stone farmhouse where George was born on July 27, 1836 still stands today as testimony to one of the original families to settle in Adams County in the 1700s.

 The story of George Shriver was not well known until 1996 when the house he built on Baltimore Street, which sat abandoned for nearly thirty years, was painstakingly restored to its original 1860s appearance. Today the Shrivers’ story is one of the most intriguing stories told when it comes to the civilian aspect of the Battle of Gettysburg. In the summer of 1860, when George was 24 years old, he sold off the family farm in order to build a new home in town. He had married Hettie, a daughter of Jacob Weikert who had a large farm on Taneytown Road, and they had two young daughters, Sadie (5) and Mollie (3). Their sizable new home was large enough to accommodate George’s new business: Shriver’s Saloon and Ten-Pin Alley. The saloon was located in the cellar and a two-lane, ten-pin bowling alley was situated in the back yard. The Battle of Gettysburg encompassed not only the surrounding countryside but the streets of this historic town as well. The Shrivers’ home was taken over by Confederate sharpshooters during the battle; eyewitnesses confirm at least two soldiers were killed inside the house which was used as a hospital as well.

 The Shrivers’ home was painstakingly restored in 1996 and is now open to the public as a heritage museum. Tours offer a special insight into the lives of the people of Gettysburg and how the Civil War, and in particular the Battle of Gettysburg, affected them. The story is told through the eyes of George and Hettie Shriver whose home was just several months old when the war began. The tour gives a glimpse into the lifestyles, customs, and furnishings of the 1860s.
For additional information on the Shriver House Museum, please call 717-337-2800 or visit www.shriverhouse.org.

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Event: George Shriver’s 175th Birthday Celebration Contact: Nancie W. Gudmestad,
Address: Shriver House Museum Director
309 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA 17325 Phone #: 717-337-2800
Date: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 Web site: www.shriverhouse.org
Time: 10 am - 5 pm; Tours begin every 30 minutes; Email: mail@shriverhouse.org
Space is limited. Photo: George W. Shriver (attached) Admission: Free tours to those with a Gettysburg address or the secret word available to those who ‘like’ the Shriver House Museum on Facebook

    A Civil War museum dedicated to the civilian experience at Gettysburg.