Look at the depot on Carlisle Street, known as the Gettysburg Train Station, the Lincoln Train Station, and the Western Maryland Railroad Station. Imagine the depot and platform you see now as an operable hub from 1858 to 1942, a place where a railroad line was completed on December 1, 1858. Most famously, this is the point of President Abraham Lincoln’s arrival on November 18, 1863 and his departure after delivering what we call the Gettysburg Address.
During the battle the station became a hospital, and in the war’s aftermath it served as a hub for outgoing wounded soldiers and for incoming resources and supplies. Today the station includes a depot, platform, museum and offices, and it contributes to the Gettysburg Battlefield Historic District you’re standing in. Originally owned by the Borough of Gettysburg, the property was bought by the Gettysburg Foundation, the non-profit partner to the National Park Service, and in 2015 it was placed under the purview of the National Park Service.
The depot, platform, museum, and offices together anchor the historic district, with the battlefield stretching beyond for you to explore.