Important Announcement
To help everyone stay cool and comfortable during the near record breaking heat, all events originally scheduled outside have been relocated to inside the United Lutheran Seminary Chapel, located next to Seminary Ridge Museum.
Museum Open Daily, 9:00am-5:00pm
Most events are FREE, but donations are appreciated.
Schedule subject to change.
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
6:00pm – “On the Eve of Battle” Dinner (Featuring Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., author of Atlas of Independence: John Adams and the American Revolution and Fight Like the Devil: The First Day at Gettysburg, July 1, 1863) - visit event page
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
9:30am – “First Clash at Gettysburg: The Fight for McPherson’s Ridge” (Presentation by Kaleb Kusmierczyk, SRMEC Director of Museum Operations)
FREE. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
10:30am – “The Civil War Chaplains of York County, PA” (Presentation by Scott Mingus, Author and Historian)
FREE. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A and book signing. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
11:30am – “The John & Eliza Slentz Family: Retreat from Battle, Return to Devastation” (Presentation by Lisa Shower, Author and Historian)
FREE. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
12:30pm – “The Nameless and the Faceless of the Civil War” (Presentation by Lisa Samia, Author and Poet)
FREE. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A and book signing. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
2:30pm – “How They Met Their Demise: Robert E. Lee and John Buford” (Walking Tour by Chris Bagley, Author and Historian)
FREE. Approximately 60 minutes. Indoors, due to heat. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
6:00pm-9:00pm – “From Revolution to Rebellion: One Family’s American Story” (Reception and Presentation by Bill Schulz, national media contributor and descendent of Revolutionary War veteran William Dawes and Civil War veteran Rufus Dawes)
FREE. Meet at Valentine Hall Auditorium, 61 Seminary Ridge. Seating is limited and first come, first served.
Thursday, July 2, 2026
10:30am – “Echoes of 1865: The Surviving Legacies of the Civil War and How they influenced America’s Future” (Presentation by Karlene Bloom, Independent Researcher)
FREE. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
11:30am – “Alexandria & Gettysburg: Connections Between Two Civil War Towns” (Presentation by Madeleine Feierstein, Historian and Founder of Rooted in Place)
FREE. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
2:00pm – “A Hell of a Regiment: How the Twentieth Maine Created Their Gettysburg Story” (Book Discussion featuring author and historian Jared Peatman, Ph.D., moderated by Codie Eash, SRMEC Director of Education and Interpretation)
FREE. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A and book signing. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
6:30pm-11:00pm – ‘The Great Anniversary Festival’: A July 2nd Independence Celebration
6:30pm-7:00pm - Opening Remarks (by Judy Morley, Ph.D., SRMEC Executive Director) and Reading of the Declaration of Independence (by Codie Eash, SRMEC Director of Education and Interpretation). FREE. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
7:30pm-8:30pm - Panel on Historical Legacy (Featuring Tom McMillan, Jake Wynn, Erin Pearce and Dan Vermilya; Moderated by Judy Morley, Ph.D., SRMEC Executive Director). FREE. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
9:00pm-11:00pm - Outdoor screening of “Independence” from the award-winning HBO miniseries John Adams. FREE. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
Friday, July 3, 2026
10:00am to 3:00pm – Visit Lee’s Headquarters (Open House)
FREE. Meet at 401 Buford Ave. (Route 30), 0.2 miles north of Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center. Courtesy of American Battlefield Trust.
10:30am – “Two Marshalls, Two Americas: Union, States' Rights, and Civil War“ (“Revolution on the Ridge” presentation by Judy Morley, Ph.D., SRMEC Executive Director)
FREE. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
11:30am – “The Revere Legacy: Patriotism and Service from Revolution to Civil War“ (“Revolution on the Ridge” presentation by Kaleb Kusmierczyk, SRMEC Director of Museum Operations)
FREE. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
12:30pm – “‘Liberty or Death’ from Richmond to Gettysburg: Patrick Henry’s Great-Grandson in the Civil War” (“Revolution on the Ridge” presentation by Codie Eash, SRMEC Director of Education and Interpretation)
FREE. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A. Indoors. Meet at United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (directly next to Seminary Ridge Museum).
Saturday, July 4, 2026
8:30pm to 10:00pm – Fireworks from the Cupola - visit event page
TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE. Space is limited to 10 visitors.
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