My first inclination, when visiting a place of historic significance, is to look at the surroundings of the historic relics.  Who are the people who live here? How do they adapt to having to share their home with others?  What does the town/city, which surrounds the historic park, have to offer?

In going about the city of Gettysburg, PA, I concerned myself with the town center, and with Gettysburg College, which was in existence, and in session, at the time of the seminal battle.  Here are some scenes of those two.

I started at the Central Train Station, walked towards Gettysburg College, and proceeded in a southwesterly direction, then around the campus and back to Lincoln Square.

I came upon Gettysburg College, at the Kline Theater.  Each and everyone of the buildings that follow, bore witness to the horrors of the War Between the States.

Walking back into town, a Victorian neighbourhood comes into view.

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Lincoln Square is the centerpiece of the city, and in fact, was where the President stayed, when he came here to pay his homage to the fallen.

This hotel housed Mr. Lincoln’s entourage, and the press corps, in 1863.

The president himself, though, stayed here:

The Wills House was the residence of a businessman who was Abraham Lincoln’s sincerest backer in Pennsylvania.

Here is one final look at Lincoln Square.

It would be an afternoon of awe, fascination, and considerable spiritual pain, at Gettysburg Battlefield National Historical Park.