Trostle Barn Shell Hole

[Gettysburg Greg]

The well known shell hole in the Trostle Barn probably was fired by a Confederate gun located near Warfield Ridge on the afternoon of July 2nd, 1863. It is a must-see for any battlefield tour. The hole's celebrity began soon after the battle when it appeared in Timothy O'Sullivan's graphic image of Bigelow's dead artillery horses laying dead in front of the barn. In the collage below is a blow up from O'Sullivan's photograph focused on the shell hole along with a modern view I took last year. On the right is a rarely seen view of the shell hole from the inside of the Trostle Barn. Pretty cool.

 

[millerpsc]

Ok this may sound dumb but did they have cinder blocks in the mid 1800s?

 

[Gettysburg Greg]

Ok this may sound dumb but did they have cinder blocks in the mid 1800s?

I don't think they are original. Good observation.

 

[millerpsc]

I didn't think so but I had to ask. Can't say I've ever looked into the history of cinder blocks and I probably never will

 

[pamc153PA]

Ok this may sound dumb but did they have cinder blocks in the mid 1800s?

No, they put those in for support over the summer when they replaced the roof.

 

[millerpsc]

No, they put those in for support over the summer when they replaced the roof.

I kinda figured they looked a little new to be from the 1860s

 

[EJ Zander]

Nice overlay of the photos. One of my favorite spots. A friend of mine used to live there.

 

[MRB1863]

Nice overlay of the photos. One of my favorite spots. A friend of mine used to live there.

Must have been an interesting place to live! I can only imagine the splendor of sitting on a site like that in the evening imagining the terror that occurred there 150+ years ago, while enjoying a peaceful summer evening.

 

[EJ Zander]

Yeah they really liked the sitting on the upper porch of the house in the evening.