Grave to be marked 137 years after young girl’s death.
Gettysburg, PA – Sadie Shriver was only seven years old when she witnessed the Battle of Gettysburg from her grandparents farm which sits at the bottom of the hills known as Big and Little Round Top. Eleven years later, two weeks shy of her nineteenth birthday, Sadie died of consumption (today called tuberculosis) and was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetary. For reasons unknown no marker was ever placed on the grave of the young girl who was an eyewitness to one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.
In 1860 Sadie’s father, George Shriver, sold his farm south of Gettysburg to build a new home on Baltimore Street for his growing family. George and his wife, Hettie (Weikert), had two young daughters; Sadie was five years old at the time, while Mollie was just three. Their home was large enough to accommodate George’s new business: Shriver’s Saloon & Ten-Pin Alley. Just three short years later the town of Gettysburg was invaded by General Lee’s Confederate army. The Shrivers’ home was taken over by Rebel sharpshooters when Hettie took her girls to seek refuge at her family’s farm three miles south of town. Hettie had no idea she was taking her girls from the frying pan into the fire. When the terror of the conflict ended, Hettie and her family helped tend to the wounds of some of the close to 1000 seriously wounded soldiers left at the farm. At one point the pile of amputated arms and legs was higher than the garden fence. Sounds and images that would certainly leave an indelibe impression any adult, let alone a seven year old child.
On Sadie’s birthday, November 20th, at 10:30 am, 137 years after her death, a headstone will be placed on Sadie’s grave to commemorate the life of one young girl who called Gettysburg home in 1863. Meet at the Shriver House Museum at 10 am to follow Hettie and Mollie to Evergreen Cemetery for the dedication. After the ceremony refreshments will be served at the Shriver House Museum.
The Shrivers’ home was painstakingly restored in 1996 and is now open to the public as a heritage museum. Tours offers 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 Shriver family who built their home just months before the Civil War began. The tour also 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.
Sponsor: Shriver House Museum Director
309 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA 17325 Phone #: 717-337-2800
Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011 Web site: www.shriverhouse.org
Time: 10:30 am Email: mail@shriverhouse.org
Location: Evergreen Cemetary
799 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA 17325
Admission: Free
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