Herbst farm-Gettysburg

infomanpa

1st Lieutenant
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Location
Pennsylvania
I took the opportunity today to go with a group sponsored by the Adams County Historical Assoc. to the site of the Herbst house and barn, which is on private property.
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First, a locator map.

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Andrew Dalton of the ACHS giving the tour with the barn and orchard in the background.

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This is the north end of the rebuilt barn, which was constructed in 1872 on the foundation of the old barn.

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This is the south wall.

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This is the driveway leading to both the house and barn. The original house no longer exists. You can see Old Mill Rd. at the end of the driveway, which today, crosses Willoughby's Run (bridge can be seen to the right). See the map above.

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This is the barn as seen from the Old Mill Rd. bridge. During the battle, this bridge did not exist.
 
I haven't been to Gettysburg yet. So Willoughby's Run is actually a fairly good size creek. How deep was it at the time of the battle? I know there was rain there before and after the battle.
 
I took the opportunity today to go with a group sponsored by the Adams County Historical Assoc. to the site of the Herbst house and barn, which is on private property.
I don't guess you pass up an opportunity to do that.
 
I haven't been to Gettysburg yet. So Willoughby's Run is actually a fairly good size creek. How deep was it at the time of the battle? I know there was rain there before and after the battle.
I don't know the depth, but only know that Willoughby's Run is fordable along most of its length through the battlefield. Previously, I have walked along both banks of the section where Archer's brigade crossed it on the first day of battle and I could have easily walked across. It's a lot wider for some reason in my picture above, but that is at a point further south from the main action. You haven't been to Gettysburg? You were only one hour away when you were at Antietam. Ya gotta come back.a

In the below picture, you can see the shallowness of the stream in the area where Archer crossed. In the winter, you can see the monuments of the Iron Brigade as I have indicated.
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I haven't been to Gettysburg yet. So Willoughby's Run is actually a fairly good size creek. How deep was it at the time of the battle? I know there was rain there before and after the battle.
@bdtex, the depth of Willoughby Run varies from wide and deepish to narrow and shallow, depending on where you are. The parts that run through the Day 1 battlefield near where @infomanpa was are generally pretty shallow. His pic is a good indicator of it. At the time of the battle, the soldiers could have easily forded it. After the battle, when thunderstorms dumped rain in the area, it turned into a torrent.

There was at least one bridge built over the run in the area of @infomanpa’s pic, but that wasn’t until well after the battle, when the Katalysine Springs hotel was built on the old Harman farm, which became the now-defunct country club/golf course.
 
There was at least one bridge built over the run in the area of @infomanpa’s pic, but that wasn’t until well after the battle, when the Katalysine Springs hotel was built on the old Harman farm, which became the now-defunct country club/golf course.
I learned about this bridge for the first time while on the tour. I had always wondered about the origins of the bridge ruins that are still visible.
 
infomanpa, it was good to see you last Saturday. Thanks for posting your photos. I wish I had taken a few more. Here is one that shot the "1872" date scratched into the stone of the barn's foundation. The information on the tour indicated that the barn was burned by the Confederates on Day 1, os the present barn is a replacement. the date of its construction is not known, but was likely within a fairly short time after the battle, probably on the same foundation. After all, a farm needs a barn. The origin of the scratched in date is also unknown. Still, it's interesting to consider that it has survived for nearly 150 years.
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@infomanpa, thanks for the pics and the info! I must I’ve missed that tour offering, because the Herbst farm is one of very few places on or near the battlefield I haven’t been. I’ve taken pics of it from afar, that’s it. So thanks for the details!
I should have taken a picture like the above one by @Gettysburg Guide #154 and then post it on the "Where is it, Wednesday?" thread. That would have been fun. :tongue:
 
Have they removed some trees around that property? I seem to remember some coverage between the barn and Reynolds Ave but I could be misremembering.

Ryan
 
Have they removed some trees around that property? I seem to remember some coverage between the barn and Reynolds Ave but I could be misremembering.

Ryan
The satellite image in my original post is pretty accurate. Except for 2 trees, there is a pretty clear view from the barn to Reynolds Ave, but the house itself (not the original one there during the battle) is surrounded by trees.
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