On Saturday, July 5, 2008 from 5 to 9 pm Confederates will occupy the home of George and Hettie (Weikert) Shriver just as they did in July, 1863.  This time, visitors are invited to talk to the soldiers to learn “first-hand” what occurred during those three days of terror in the streets of Gettysburg.  Hear how Hettie took her two girls, Sadie (7) and Mollie (5), to seek safety outside town only to find herself deep within the battle lines.

This living history presentation provides visitors an opportunity to speak with Confederate soldiers as they prepare for battle.  Watch the sharpshooters as they occupy the attic and fire muskets at their enemy on Cemetery Hill.  Visitors can also see where soldiers lost their lives in the Shrivers’ home and where Civil War medical supplies and live cartridges were discovered during the restoration of the Shrivers’ home 133 years after the fighting ended.  At the conclusion of the tour visitors can share a root beer with the soldiers in Shriver’s Saloon and meet some of Gettysburg’s “local” citizens who also have harrowing stories to share.  The Battle of Gettysburg encompassed not only the surrounding countryside but the streets of this historic town as well.  This is the only reenactment to take place in the streets of Gettysburg.</p> The Shrivers’ home was painstakingly restored in 1996 and is now open to the public as a heritage museum.  Tours offer 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 the George and Hettie Shriver whose home was just a few months old when the Civil War started.  The tour also gives a glimpse into the lifestyles, customs, and furnishings of the 1860’s.

The only reenactment to take place in the streets of Gettysburg!