Lee's Headquarters Open House

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! In conjunction with Main Street Gettysburg's A Gettysburg Christmas Festival, we'll be hosting a special open house at Lee's Headquarters on the Gettysburg Battlefield, including tours of the house decorated for the holidays, historical interpretation, and crafts for young and old!

During the Battle of Gettysburg, this small stone house — home of 69-year-old widow Mary Thompson — served as the headquarters of Gen. Robert E. Lee. The property surrounding the house played a pivotal role in the severe fighting on July 1, 1863, and was a key position in the Confederate line for the rest of the engagement. 

Today, the landscape and building have been preserved and restored to its wartime appearance by the American Battlefield Trust.  

Take the opportunity to step back in time inside the historic home, during this open house, hosted by the Seminary Ridge Museum & Education Center, and the American Battlefield Trust. Interpreters will be onsite and available to answer questions and tell the stories of this crucial site. A self-guided interpretive trail, with five signs explaining the dramatic events at the headquarters from July 1-3, 1863, is open daily from dawn to dusk.

See all upcoming open houses