Before it was Gettysburg, the area was known as the Marsh Creek Settlement, first settled by Scots-Irish and German immigrants in the 1730s and 1740s. Among them was Samuel Gettys (pronounced “Get-tis”), who emigrated from Ireland to Lancaster County before establishing a tavern here by 1761. He eventually claimed 381 acres in Cumberland Township, York County, Pennsylvania.
Photo courtesy of Jim Gettys.
In 1769–1770, the Baltimore–Shippensburg Road was laid out, creating a major intersection with Marsh Creek Road near the Gettys Tavern. This early tavern—destroyed by fire in 1880—stood near the site of today’s borough parking garage on Race Horse Alley. In its time, the tavern was both a business and a vital meeting place for the community.
Samuel and his wife, Isabella, were members of the Upper Marsh Creek Presbyterian Church and raised eight children, including twins James and his sister, born August 14, 1759. County histories describe James Gettys as “an enterprising man, of sound judgment and bold and dashing financial schemes.”
Founding Gettysburg
While Samuel’s tavern and store thrived for a time, financial troubles after the American Revolution forced the sale of his property. In 1785, James Gettys purchased 116 acres of his father’s land, including the tavern and the strategic road intersection.
Shortly after acquiring the property, James hired a surveyor to lay out lots for a town. On January 10, 1786, he offered them for sale. To encourage settlement, he organized a lottery, issuing his first deeds a year later for what he officially named Gettysburg.
The town prospered. When the western townships of York County were formed into the new Adams County in 1800, Gettysburg was chosen as the county seat. By 1806, it was incorporated as a borough, and its footprint began to expand.
Public Service and Leadership
Beyond his role as town founder, James Gettys was a veteran of the American Revolution and later rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Pennsylvania militia. He also served as sheriff of Adams County, borough councilman, burgess of Gettysburg, and as a representative in the Pennsylvania legislature from 1807–1809. His leadership extended into business as well, where he was a director of the Gettysburg–Petersburg Turnpike Company and the Bank of Gettysburg.
Final Years and Legacy
In March 1815, tragedy struck when James Gettys, his wife, and his mother all died within days of one another. He was originally buried in Upper Marsh Creek Cemetery (Blacks’ Cemetery) northwest of town along today’s Belmont Road. In 1865, his remains—what could be recovered—were moved to Evergreen Cemetery, where a large monument now marks his grave.
By the time of the Civil War, no members of the Gettys family remained in Gettysburg. Yet the town James founded—and the strategic road intersection that began as a crossroads near his tavern—would draw two great armies together in 1863 for a battle that made Gettysburg the most famous small town in American history.
To learn more about James Gettys and other figures who shaped Gettysburg’s history, visit the award-winning new Beyond the Battle Museum.
