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. Meet at Activities Tent near Luther Statue. Chair recommended.
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. Meet at Activities Tent near Luther Statue. Chair recommended.
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. Meet at Activities Tent near Luther Statue. Chair recommended.
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. Meet at Activities Tent near Luther Statue. Chair recommended.
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. Meet at Activities Tent near Luther Statue. Approximately ½ mile of walking.
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.
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. Meet at Activities Tent near Luther Statue. Chair recommended.
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. Meet at Activities Tent near Luther Statue. Chair recommended.
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. Meet in United Lutheran Seminary Chapel (Church of the Abiding Presence).
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. Meet in front lawn of Seminary Ridge Museum.
7:30pm-8:30pm - Panel on Historical Legacy (Featuring Tom McMillan, Jake Wynn, Erin Pearce and Dan Welch; Moderated by Judy Morley, Ph.D., SRMEC Executive Director). FREE. Meet in front lawn of Seminary Ridge Museum.
9:00pm-11:00pm - Outdoor screening of “Independence” from the award-winning HBO miniseries John Adams. FREE. Meet near Hill-Unger Performance Pavilion in Schmucker Grove (near intersection of Seminary Ridge and Springs Avenue). Chair or blanket recommended.
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. Meet at Activities Tent near Luther Statue. Chair recommended.
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. Meet at Activities Tent near Luther Statue. Chair recommended.
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. Meet at Activities Tent near Luther Statue. Chair recommended.
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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