Book Signing at National Park Bookstore

Gettysburg, PA – Gettysburg author Nancie W. Gudmestad will sign copies of her book, The Shrivers’ Story - Eyewitnesses to the Battle of Gettysburg, on Sunday and Monday, October 9 & 10 at the Gettysburg National Military Park’s Museum Bookstore from 10 to 2 pm.

The Director of the Shriver House Museum, Nancie, along with her husband, Del, restored the Shriver’s home in 1996. Though the battle has been chronicled from almost every point of view, the history of what happened here is more than just the story of large-scale troop movements and military maneuvers. It is the story of individuals who left their families to serve their country, soldiers like George Shriver, and the families they left behind, civilians like Hettie, Sadie and Mollie Shriver. Their lives - soldiers and civilians alike - were forever changed as a result of the events that occurred on the rolling hills of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1863.

The story of the Shriver family was not well-known until the house George Shriver built on Baltimore Street, which sat abandoned for nearly 30 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 his 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 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 backyard. 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 also used as a hospital.

The Shrivers’ Story - Eyewitnesses to the Battle of Gettysburg details the lives of the Shriver family. It also describes how the museum came to be as well as how the fascinating, yet largely unknown, story of the Shriver family was pieced together over a several year period.



For additional information on the Shriver House Museum, please call 717-337-2800 or visit www.shriverhouse.org.