shriver house museum

My wife and I enjoyed a great tour of the Shriver House. The house was restored to look exactly as it did in 1863. The tour has a lot of surprises as you learn about a young family torn apart by the Civil War. Great attraction for all ages. Owners take great pride in this home. You can tell that their efforts at restoration were a labor of love. We will be back with the kids in the summer.

If you're looking for something different to do in Gettysburg, then visit the Schriver House. On your visit, you will hear how the townspeople and in particular the Schrivers were affected by the battle and what occurred within the house itself. The story of the Schrivers is an interesting but sad one. Similar to many families that lived through the war torn areas of the Civil War. A must see on your next trip.

I had been here before in the summer for the regular tour and was pleasantly surprised to see that they offer a Candlelight Christmas tour. It was even more interesting than the regular tour. It was great for my kids to see that children used to get so few toys and were appreciative to have oranges for the holiday. Thinking about the Shriver Family's Christmas put a real pleasant perspective on our holiday trip.

Loved hearing about how the townspeople dealt with a battle in their quiet little town. I can't begin to imagine the sights, sounds, smells and general nerve wracking experience.

Many of the battles during the American Civil War were fought in open sites away from populated towns. The Battle of Gettysburg is an exception. It was fought in and around the small town placing the civilians in harms way. The Shriver House Museum interprets the affect that the battle had on the civilian population. I'm sure each Gettysburg household has its own stories of how it was affected by the battle raging around them, but those of the Shriver family surely are typical. My tour guide, Nancy, vividly described the hardship and suffering experienced by every member of the Shriver family. Unlike all other house museums which are immaculately set up with beautiful furnishings attractively displayed, the Shriver house begins the tour with picture perfect rooms...the formal parlor and dining room on one side of the hallway then upstairs to the family bedrooms, but when one climbs back down the stairwell and crosses over to the other side of the hallway, visitors see what the Shrivers and countless other civilians saw when they returned to their houses after a battle....complete destruction of all of their property left in the house. I've read and heard about such destruction before at other historic house museums, but actually seeing the ransacking and senseless destruction left behind after soldiers had pilfered through family possessions was quite startling. Nancy tactfully explained the gruesome task of dealing with over 53,000 dead and wounded men as well as the dead and dying military horses and mules left behind when the two large armies left Gettysburg. There were all the amputated limbs that needed disposed. There was a lack of clean drinking water, medical supplies and food supplies. Then there was the clearing of the streets, yards and farm fields of all the debris left after the battle. It was a herculean task. The Shriver House Museum gives visitors a different perspective on the battle which one doesn't receive in history books making it a worthwhile site to visit while visiting Gettysburg.

This museum tells the story very well of a Gettysburg family and their experience of what life was like for them before, during, and after the Gettysburg battle occurred. George and Hettie Shriver were a young couple, with two little girls seven and five, when the battle of Gettysburg happened. George was off serving in the war at that time, leaving Hettie alone with the two girls, awaiting his return to open up a saloon in the basement and a bowling alley by the house to generate income for the family. Confederate soldiers ended up using their attic, to sharp-shoot and kill Yankees; at least one of the Confederate soldiers died up there. The whole story is fascinating; the tour guide was dressed in period costume, and was extremely animated in showing the house, the planned saloon, and narrating the true story of the family, including how Hettie, her two girls, and a 15-year-old neighbor, ended up being by Little Round Top in the thick of the battle. There's a very cute little gift shop and a good size case of interesting artifacts they discovered from the Shrivers and others who occupied the house later, when they restored the house. The tour was a half-hour, but it would be good to allow some extra time to look at the artifacts, the outside of the house, etc.

This was our first time in Gettysburg and what a great way to find out how the civilians were affected by the battle. The house is beautifully kept as a representation of the time period. Our guide was wonderful and really helped us to understand the history of the house and family. Definitely worth the time and money!

This museum gives you the civilian's perspective of the Civil War. My kids, 7 & 10, enjoyed it so much they took the tour twice. Our tour guide, Nancy, was awesome. She was extremely knowledgeable about the museum and Gettysburg in general. Nancy not only did an excellent job with the tour but she also was able to point us towards some of the must see and must skip attractions and local eateries.

It was cool to see inside a house used by the soldiers during the civil war. The tour was good. Kids enjoted it.

Really gave a view of what the townspeople went through! The tour guide was very thorough. Our 12 year old really enjoyed it!!

This was a gem. Take the tour of the house, look at the backyard and see the bullet holes on the side of the house. The story of the family is interesting and gives you a different perspective of what happened to the townspeople during the was in Gettsyburg.

The guide through the home, Hannah, was wonderful. She gave us a great synopsis of the Shriver's and how they lived during the Civil War, which was a very sad story. Well worth visiting.

The staff and tour of the Shriver House Museum my husband and myself visited last week was absolutely wonderful. The staff and story told were truly amazing. We sometimes forget what the civilians encountered during the war. Definitely as must see.

After two full days of battlefield activities, we loved visiting the Shriver House and gaining perspective of a civilian family during that time. Our tour guide (wish I could recall her name) was fantastic and told a great story. I loved how the tour guides dressed in period costume.

Great look into how life in a quiet rural village became a living hell for the citizens of Gettysburg. The ransacked rooms, sniper outpost in the attic and the unfulfilled dreams of a budding tavern owner. Excellent 30 minute tour.