Seminary Ridge Museum
ABOUT
The Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates the Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center (SRMEC) in historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was here that General Robert E. Lee and his Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was defeated by Union forces under General George Meade, turning the tide of the Civil War.
The Foundation is housed in the Lutheran Seminary building where the Battle of Gettysburg, the clash that decided the Civil War, truly began. This structure dates to 1832 and its cupola is where General John Buford first spied General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia advancing on the town.
The mission of the Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation (SRHPF) is to restore, preserve, and maintain the national historic Civil War properties, architecture, and historic legacies of Seminary Ridge, and provide related education and communication of these legacies for the general public.
HISTORY
The Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation was incorporated under the non-profit laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on April 29, 1999. The Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center opened its doors on July 1, 2013, and receives over 20,000 visitors each year.
The SRMEC has a first-class museum focused on the care of the 700 wounded soldiers, both north and south, cared for in the Lutheran Seminary following the battle. This outstanding facility brings in artifacts from other historic groups to augment its displays and exhibits. SRMEC also has a great orientation film called Voices of Devotion that makes the visitor experience more meaningful.
SMREC offers several tours for visitors including one of the famous cupola where General Buford saw the Confederate campfires in the distance and planned his defense of the town and another tour of the beautiful Seminary grounds. SMREC also provides tours at the nearby Lee’s Headquarters, recently restored by the American Battlefield Trust, where General Lee directed the battle from the southern side.
GRANT PROJECT
The Americana Corner Preserving America grant awarded to the Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation (SRHPF), operator of Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center (SRMEC), funded the update of seven displays in the Museum’s permanent exhibit, Voices of Duty and Devotion. The updated displays include “The Surgeons,” “The Wounded,” “The Nurses,” “United States Colored Troops,” and three “Within These Walls” stations.
The accounts of men and women who made history in the 190-year-old Lutheran Seminary building in which SRMEC is located form the backbone of the Museum’s unique visitor experience. It is the goal of the SRHPF to bring these stories to the 20,000 students and lifelong learners who walk through its doors each year.
Americana Corner is proud to assist the Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation with its mission to preserve the Great American Story and to help our fellow citizens grow their love of country.
