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© Abraham Lincoln OnlineWills House
6 Lincoln Square
York & Baltimore Streets
Gettysburg, PennsylvaniaTake a Lincoln at Gettysburg Photo Tour
When David Wills invited President Abraham Lincoln to stay in his home before the dedication of the Gettysburg military cemetery, he hardly suspected that America's most famous speech would be completed in his guest bedroom.
Wills, a prosperous 32-year-old attorney, owned the largest house on the town square. Under his direction, Pennsylvania purchased 17 acres for a cemetery to honor the dead from the summer's battle. He arranged for the cemetery dedication on November 19, 1863, with Edward Everett as the main speaker. Lincoln was invited to offer "a few appropriate remarks."
Lincoln arrived at the Gettysburg railroad station the day before the ceremonies and was escorted to the Wills home. His special train included others from Washington such as Cabinet members and foreign ambassadors. While Lincoln, Everett, and other dignitaries ate supper together, serenaders and crowds gathered outside, calling for the President. Lincoln eventually appeared, but declined to make a speech at the moment.
The next afternoon, on the edge of town, a crowd of more than 10,000 would hear Lincoln's brief masterpiece, now considered the product of an entire lifetime. Contrary to popular belief, the painstaking Lincoln had not dashed off this speech on an envelope while enroute to Gettysburg (for one thing, five original copies of the speech exist -- all are on standard letter paper). However, Lincoln apparently produced the final written version in an upstairs bedroom of the Wills house. The decorative bunting in the photo marks the location.
Once the cemetery dedication was over, the Marine Band and other members of the military escorted Lincoln back to the center of town. After dinner at the Wills house, Lincoln greeted guests in an informal reception. Standing in the hallway which faces York Street, he met visitors such as John L. Burns, the 70-year-old Gettysburg cobbler who was wounded after he spontaneously joined Union troops in the battle.
Visiting Information: The building is now undergoing renovation and restoration by the National Park Service and is not yet open to the public.
Related Links
Gettysburg Address Exhibit (Library of Congress)
Gettysburg National Military Park (National Park Service)
David Wills' Letter of Invitation to Lincoln (Library of Congress)
Lincoln's Invitation to Stay Overnight (Library of Congress)
Edward Everett's Letter to Lincoln (Library of Congress)
Photograph of Lincoln at Gettysburg (Library of Congress)
Translations of the Gettysburg Address (ALBC)Related Books
Boritt, Gabor. The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech That Nobody Knows. Simon & Schuster, 2006.
Kunhardt, Philip B., Jr. A New Birth of Freedom - Lincoln at Gettysburg. Boston: Little, Brown, 1983.
Wills, Garry. Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America. Touchstone Books, 1993.
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