HeritagePhoto Wikimedia CommonsDavid Wills House
Pennsylvania · United States
The David Wills House is a historic museum where President Abraham Lincoln stayed the night before delivering the Gettysburg Address. Visitors can explore exhibits detailing Lincoln's visit, the drafting of the iconic speech, and the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg. Highlights include the restored bedroom where Lincoln stayed, period furnishings, interactive displays, and artifacts that tell the story of Wills' role in creating the Soldiers' National Cemetery.
Contents
9 sections · tap a section for its opening lines1David Wills House
Welcome to the absolute center of historic Gettysburg. You are standing in the vibrant heart of the town, an intersection traditionally known during the Civil War era as the Diamond, and today celebrated as Lincoln Square. …
Listen in the app2The Front Parlor and the Town Model
Upon surrendering your ticket and entering the David Wills House, you are immediately ushered into the elegant front parlor, a space that firmly establishes the domestic refinement of the Wills family prior to the catastrophe.…
Listen in the app3David Wills's Office: The Crisis Center
Moving deeper into the first floor of the residence, we enter a space that arguably bore the heaviest administrative burden in the entire town: the law office of David Wills. While it may appear as a standard nineteenth century…
Listen in the app4The Artifacts of the Walls: An Archaeological Time Capsule
As we transition between the primary exhibit spaces, it is imperative to pause and consider the physical structure of the Wills House itself, which recently yielded a fascinating, hidden stratigraphy of daily life. During the…
Listen in the app5The Second Floor Parlor: Forging the National Cemetery
Ascending the staircase to the second floor, we enter another beautifully appointed parlor located in the front of the house. While the downstairs parlor introduced the domestic setting, this upper room is singularly dedicated to…
Listen in the app6The Procession Room and the Shadow of Edward Everett
Continuing through the second floor, we enter a room focused on the grand events of November nineteenth, specifically the solemn procession to the cemetery and the towering, often misunderstood figure of Edward Everett. The…
Listen in the app7The Guest Room: Chaos and the Trauma of War
Before we enter the most sacred space in the house, we pass through a room dedicated to the sheer, overwhelming logistical chaos that engulfed the Wills residence and the entire town on the evening of November eighteenth. This…
Listen in the app8Abraham Lincoln's Bedroom: The Rhetorical Crucible
We now cross the threshold into the absolute heart and soul of the David Wills House, and indeed, one of the most sacred domestic spaces in American history: the bedroom where President Abraham Lincoln slept on the night of…
Listen in the app9Closing
As we quietly exit the hallowed confines of Lincoln's bedroom and make our way back down the staircase toward the modern world, the profound historical weight of the David Wills House settles firmly upon the intellect. We have…
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What is David Wills House?
David Wills House is a place in Pennsylvania · United States with 9 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.
| Location | Pennsylvania · United States |
|---|---|
| Type | Heritage |
| Story sections | 9 |
| Text language | English |
| Coordinates | 39.8308, -77.2306 |
| Last updated |
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within a 5-minute walk
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