Penn Hall celebrates 175th birthday
Photo courtesy of GCC&M
By Bethany Foxx, Staff Writer
On Friday, Nov. 2, Gettysburg College celebrated Pennsylvania Hall’s 175th birthday. An event was held to celebrate the 175-year mark at 1:30 p.m. in the Penn Hall Lyceum. History professor Michael Birkner was scheduled to speak about Pennsylvania Hall, and the event organizers provided cake and punch.
A picture portrays Penn Hall as in the 1840s. (Photo courtesy of GCC&M)
In 1837 Gettysburg College, which was known as Pennsylvania College at the time, moved to Pennsylvania Hall, which has gone by the names “Old Dorm” and “Office Edifice” in the past. Penn Hall was built on the land that was donated by abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens, according to the Gettysburg College Website.
During the Civil War, Penn Hall was utilized as a hospital in the midst of the battle. The war had a presence on campus from the first day of the battle, July 1, 1863, and soldiers from both armies received medical treatment over the weeks that followed. Due to the fact that the building played a role in the war, it is rumored that ghosts sometimes make appearances in the former makeshift hospital.
According to the Council of Independent Colleges Historic Campus Architecture Project, Penn Hall also had another large role in the Civil War. From the cupola, two professors pointed out to a Union signal officer that Cemetery Ridge offered a significant strategic
This photo shows Penn Hall as it stood in 1862. (Photo courtesy of GCC&M)
advantage for the North.
Over the years Pennsylvania Hall has provided classrooms and served as housing for students. Additionally, the President of the College and his family lived there for a brief period time. After the renovation in 1969-70, various administrative offices, including the offices of the President and the Provost, were placed in Penn Hall. Human resources and financial services have offices there as well.
Pennsylvania Hall was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1972 and serves as the location for both convocation and commencement each academic year. Penn Hall and its cupola have become well-recognized signs of Gettysburg College.
