Gettysburg College 1st Year Walk
Address
History
Both the College and the town served as a backdrop for the bloodiest battle of the Civil War in the summer of 1863. The Pennsylvania Hall Cupola became a lookout and its halls became a hospital for wounded soldiers. In the months that followed, David Wills, Class of 1851, invited President Lincoln to come to Gettysburg to give “a few appropriate remarks” for the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery.
On November 19, 1863, Gettysburg students and townspeople walked to the cemetery to hear Lincoln deliver the Gettysburg Address. This monumental occasion in our nation’s history evolved into a unique tradition at the College that has helped usher in a new class of students every fall. Inspired by the original walk 140 years before, Gettysburg alumna Lindsay Morlock ’04 helped bring the current iteration to life in 2003.
The First-Year Walk is part of the College’s robust Orientation schedule to welcome new students and their families to the community.