Heading Home from Gettysburg- Tuesday, August 25, 2026

     We have to leave today, because the rental car is due back by 9 PM, but that still gave us a little time to explore around the town.

     We started with breakfast at the Steinwehr Diner. which now occupies the same building that the infamous "Marvelous Marv's" did.

     After breakfast we strolled around the area a bit.  We crossed by the Old Homestead and stopped at the shop of sculptor Gary Casteel.  He is responsible for several of the monuments around Gettysburg today, most notably the equestrian statue of Longstreet and the drummer boy in Unity Park.   Scott knows him best as the guy who makes the replicas of monuments of Gettysburg, and Scott owns the replicas he has made of the 154th NY monuments at both Gettysburg and Chancellorsville.  Gary seems like a very nice guy and he spoke with us for a while.  We got to see a sculpture he is currently working on- a life-sized drummer who is sleeping on his drum.  It is being made for a future national Civil War memorial. Naturally, Brian was amazed at that sculpture.

     We passed by the Jennie Wade house and stopped for a moment.  Brian had previously seen a story about a soldier who had carved his initials in the brick of this house using his bayonet while he was sheltering behind it during the battle.  He later returned to add his company and regiment.  Brian wanted to see this carving, and we stood outside the house for a while staring at the bricks to try to spot it.  Scott finally found it- the letters "AFM" for Private Adam F. Miller of Company I, 75th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.  It is on the southwest corner of the house almost behind drainpipe coming down from the eavestrough.  

     We stopped for a few minutes at Gary Casteel's drummer boy statue, and then we continued on.  We passed by the Dobbin House where they were getting ready for the re-dedication ceremony tomorrow.  A large crane had lowered a giant replica of the Liberty Bell into place among the various plaques in the new park that has been constructed there.  Naturally, Scott is disappointed that we won't be around for the ceremony tomorrow, but we had to head back home.  We only missed it by a day. 

     From here, we drove to the middle of town and briefly visited Lord Nelson's Gallery before heading north.  We listened to old episodes the Addressing  Gettysburg podcast all the way home.  We stopped at Scott's house, where we emptied the car, and Julie followed us to the airport.  We dropped the car off and took Brian home.