A Brief History

Chartered in 1832, and originally named Pennsylvania College, to provide an education to the residents of south-central Pennsylvania, Gettysburg's founding principles embrace a rigorous liberal arts education that fosters a global perspective, a spirit of collaboration, a dedication to public service and leadership, and an enriching campus life.

In July 1863, Gettysburg College and town buildings were used as hospitals in the aftermath of the largest battle of the Civil War. As a consequence, the College has a sense of connection to one of the most significant places in American history. 

Later that year Gettysburg College students walked the half-mile from Pennsylvania Hall on campus to Cemetery Hill to hear President Abraham Lincoln deliver the Gettysburg Address. In a tradition to recreate that experience, upperclassmen, faculty, staff, and community members lead first-year students on a walk retracing the steps of their predecessors to hear a speaker deliver Lincoln's famed address during First-Year Orientation. The place, like the institution, is one that affects students and faculty members for the rest of their lives.

The College is also closely associated with another president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who in 1918 lived adjacent to the campus. That home now serves as the headquarters on campus of the College's Eisenhower Institute. Following his presidency, he returned here to the farm that he and his wife Mamie bought and where he spent his retirement and served the College as a member of its Board of Trustees. He wrote his memoirs in what is today the College's Admissions Office, now known as Eisenhower House.

While the College respects its historic ties to the Lutheran Church in America, today the College is actively non-sectarian and draws its faculty and students from a rich diversity of cultures and traditions. Hillel House, the Newman Society, Protestant organizations, and nonwestern traditions flourish side by side on the campus. Current students represent more than 30 religions. The College's institutional shared values are influenced by its historical ties with the Evangelical Lutheran Church.