GETTYSBURG

borough (town), Adams county, southern Pennsylvania, U.S., 38 miles (61 km) southwest of Harrisburg, just north of the Maryland border. Laid out in the 1780s by James Gettys and called Gettys-town, it was renamed in 1800 when it became the county seat and was incorporated in 1806. Lutheran Theological Seminary was founded there in 1826 and Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College) in 1832both colleges felt the brunt of the momentous American Civil War engagement (July 13, 1863), the Battle of Gettysburg. The borough with its surrounding area is now virtually a museum focusing on Gettysburg National Military Park, 9 square miles (23 square km) in area and site of the hallowed battlefield. The Soldiers' National Monument in Gettysburg National Cemetery marks the spot where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863). There are more than 1,600 Civil War monuments, markers, and tablets; these include the cannon that fired the first shot, General Robert E. Lee's Headquarters, the National Tower (for observation of the Gettysburg battlefield), the National Civil War Wax Museum, the Dobbin House (used as a hospital and now a restaurant), and the Wills House (where Lincoln completed the writing of his Address). The Eisenhower National Historic Site, a farm purchased by President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his retirement, is adjacent to the military park. Tourism, education, and mixed farming (fruit growing, dairying, and stock raising) are the borough's economic mainstays. Pop. (1990) 7,025; (1998 est.) 7,376.