The Historic Gettysburg Adams County Preservation Society (HGAC) will host a public dedication ceremony on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 2:00 PM to unveil a new wayside marker honoring the free Black men of Adams County who served in the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) during the Civil War.

 

The ceremony will be held at the historic Grand Army of the Republic Hall, located at 53 E. Middle Street, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

The new wayside marker recognizes the service and sacrifice of Adams County’s free Black soldiers—men who fought for the Union and for freedom yet were excluded from the 1892 Adams County Soldiers Memorial, which commemorated county residents who died in service during the Civil War. This dedication represents a long-overdue public acknowledgment and a corrective to that historical omission.

Program Highlights
The ceremony will feature Captain Edward W. Gantt, USN (Ret.), a respected USCT historian and longtime reenactor associated with the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, as keynote speaker.
Additional reflections will be offered by:
• Tim Hodge, reenactor portraying Maj. Martin Robeson Delany, the highest-ranking Black field officer during the Civil War
• Jean Howard-Green, president of Gettysburg’s Lincoln Cemetery Project Association
•  Ross Hetrick as Thaddeus Stevens

Together, these speakers will provide historical context on the contributions of Black soldiers from Adams County and the significance of their inclusion in the public memory of the Civil War.

By placing this wayside marker at the G.A.R. Hall—an enduring symbol of Union veterans’ memory—HGAC seeks to broaden the narrative of Adams County’s Civil War history and ensure that the contributions of free Black soldiers are publicly honored. The dedication underscores ongoing efforts to tell a fuller, more inclusive story of the region’s past.

 

Event Details
• WHAT: Dedication of a wayside honoring free Black USCT soldiers of Adams County
• WHEN: Sunday, November 15, 2026 • 2:00 PM
• WHERE: Grand Army of the Republic Hall, 53 E. Middle Street, Gettysburg, PA
• HOST: Historic Gettysburg Adams County Preservation Society (HGAC)
• KEYNOTE: CAPT Edward W. Gantt, USN (Ret.), USCT historian and reenactor
• ADDITIONAL REMARKS: Tim Hodge, Jean Howard-Green, and other local and visiting historians
The public is invited to attend. Media coverage is welcome.

Media Contact
HGAC office: 717-334-5185 or

Coleen Dee Berry at cdeeberry@hgac-pa.org

​