The Adams County Historical Society (ACHS) is a branch of Gettysburg History located at Beyond the Battle Museum. Here, more than one million historic items are preserved and made accessible to the public through the Dr. Charles H. Glatfelter Research Room.
ACHS proudly preserves over 5,000 square feet of historic materials in its archives and research room. Here, visitors can access a host of records and manuscripts dealing with a wide range of historical topics. From genealogy to historic property research, military history, and Civil War-era accounts, the Glatfelter Research Room is Gettysburg’s preeminent archival research facility.
Reproduction of any of the materials found below is prohibited without the express permission of Gettysburg History.
Hours
The Glatfelter Research Room is open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last admittance to the Research Room is 4 p.m. We highly encourage you to pre-book your research session by clicking here. You may also purchase a research room ticket at the front desk if there is availability remaining.
Please note that the Research Room will be closed the following dates: November 5-7, November 12-14, and November 26-28. Additionally, the Research Room will close at 2 p.m. on November 21st. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding!
Tickets
FREE for current Gettysburg History members and students (grade 6-12 & undergraduate)
$10 per day for non-members
Location
The Glatfelter Research Room is located at 625 Biglerville Road, less than one mile north of the heart of downtown Gettysburg. Free parking is available on site. Advanced reservations for research is encouraged.
About Our Holdings
In addition to an artifact collection numbering in the tens of thousands, ACHS houses extensive archival holdings including selective birth and baptismal records, marriage licenses and church records, wills and estate files, death certificates, and compiled genealogical information such as family files, manuscripts, family collections, and published family histories. The collection also includes indexed excerpts from every newspaper published in Adams County, as well as the original bound volumes. For a list of pertinent finding aids and indexes, please click here.
ACHS also preserves a large body of information concerning historic homes and other significant sites around Gettysburg and Adams County. These resources include annual tax assessment books for each borough and township dating from 1800 through the mid-1950s, as well as original deed books and a large collection of unrecorded deeds and other land-related documents.
ACHS is perhaps best known for its Battle of Gettysburg Research Library, which includes a large collection of rare books and manuscripts that have been widely consulted by authors and enthusiasts of the Civil War Era. A notable highlight is the Society’s collection of more than 300 civilian accounts of the Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.