Dedication Day November 19, 2009
Schedule of Events
November 2 -December 11, 2009
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Exhibit "Free At Last: A History of the Abolition of Slavery in America"
Historic Gettysburg Railroad Station (full information below "Special Exhibits")
November 16-22, 2009
The Lincoln Flag of the Pike County Historical Society Exhibit at the Historic Gettysburg Railroad Station (full information below "Special Exhibits")
November 16-18, 2009 - Lincoln Forum Symposium
Advance registration and fee required. For further information, visit their website: http://www.thelincolnforum.org.
Thursday, November 19
*Note: November 19, the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, was formally designated as Dedication Day, by a joint resolution of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, on August 7, 1946.
9:30 a.m. Wreath Laying Ceremony Soldiers' National Monument, Soldiers' National Cemetery
(East Gate cemetery entrance) Visitors can walk through the cemetery along the upper drive to reach the Rostrum.
10:00 a.m. 146th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address Dedication Day Ceremony, Rostrum
Soldiers' National Cemetery. (West Gate cemetery entrance)
Speaker: Academy Award-winning actor, Richard Dreyfuss
Performances by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band
Naturalization Ceremony will be held at conclusion of the Dedication Day ceremony Presented by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services and hosted by the National Park Service.
Sponsored by the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, the Gettysburg National Military Park, the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, and the Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. These events were financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development
(Inclement weather location: Majestic Theater, 25 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg, NOT Christ Chapel) Free and open to the general public.
11:15 a.m. US Colored Troops Graveside Salute
Immediately following the Dedication Day Ceremony
Soldiers' National Cemetery (northern area of the cemetery)
Speaker: James Getty, portraying Abraham Lincoln (For more information contact Debra McCauslin (717) 528-8553.)
12:00 p.m. Lincoln Fellowship Luncheon, Gettysburg College Union Ballroom
Speaker: Lewis Lehrman is a philanthropist and a co-founder of the Lincoln Prize and the author of Lincoln at Peoria: The Turning Point (Stackpole Books, 2008).
[For Fellowship members only; pre-registration is required; no phone reservations accepted. For information on becoming a member of the Lincoln Fellowship, visit us online at www.gettysburg.edu/civilwar/institute, by phone (717) 337-6590, or write to the Lincoln Fellowship, P.O. Box 3372, Gettysburg, PA 17325].
Book Signing following Luncheon- Lewis Lehrman: Lincoln at Peoria: The Turning Point (Stackpole Books, 2008).
2:00-5:00 p.m. Abraham Lincoln & Governor Curtin Meet & Greet
Come shake hands and meet President Abraham Lincoln and Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin. This event recreates the public meet & greet that was held the evening of November 19, 1863 in which visitors were received and were able to meet the President and Governor.
Cost: Free with admission Ages: All ages
The David Wills House, 8 Lincoln Square , Gettysburg, PA Phone: (866) 486-5735
Website: http://www.davidwillshouse.org/
4:00 p.m. "Gettysburg Addresses Lincoln"
After his address at the National Cemetery, President Lincoln traveled with local patriot John Burns to the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church for a rally. This free one-hour program will include a presentation "How Lincoln Came to Be 'Under God' at Gettysburg " by public historian, Dr. Charles Teague, at the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church, 208 Baltimore Street in downtown Gettysburg, just two blocks south of Lincoln Square.
7:30 p.m. FOR THE PEOPLE (world premiere) Majestic Theater at the LeVan Performing Arts Center
An oratorio commissioned by the PA Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, composed and conducted by John William Jones, Professor of Music, The Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College
Performances by: The Spires Brass Band, Kathleen Sasnett, soprano, Jeffrey Fahnestock, tenor
Roosevelt Credit, bass-baritone, The Sunderman Conservatory Woodwind Octet, and The Victorian Dance Ensemble
Dedicated to the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College in celebration of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial. Texts from "Of The People, By the People, For The People" (ed. by Gabor S. Boritt), popular songs of the day, and biblical verse.
The Eleventh Annual Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction
Majestic Theater, awarded by Jeff Shaara
Recipient: TBA
48th Annual Robert Fortenbaugh Memorial Lecture
Performing Arts Center
Speaker: Michael Burlingame holds the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Topic: "Abraham Lincoln: New Information, Fresh Perspectives"
9:30 p.m. Public Reception and Book Signings, Lobby
Authors: Michael Burlingame: Abraham Lincoln: A Life
Jeff Shaara: The Steel Wave
Allen C. Guelzo: Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America, at the Majestic Theater.
Friday, November 20
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Meet the Wills
Meet David and Catherine Wills as they open their home to meet visitors. Learn about what their lives were like during the Civil War. Find out interesting facts about the Wills family and ask questions first hand.
Cost: Free with admission Ages: All ages
The David Wills House, 8 Lincoln Square , Gettysburg, PA Phone: (866) 486-5735
Website: http://www.davidwillshouse.org/
Saturday, November 21
1:00 p.m. Remembrance Day Parade and Activities, sponsored by the Sons of Union Veterans.
Visit their website at www.suvcw.org
3:30 p.m. Lincoln Cemetery Speaker: TBA
Location: Lincoln Lane behind Gettysburg Hospital.
5:30 p.m. Seventh Annual Remembrance Illumination
Soldiers' National Cemetery, hosted by the Gettysburg Foundation. Anyone interested in sponsoring one of the 3,500 luminaries is encouraged to contact the Gettysburg Foundation. Phone: (717) 338-1243 website: http://www.friendsofgettysburg.org/
145th Anniversary of Gettysburg Address
Dedication Day 2008
Photo compliments of Bill Dowling
Ken Burns' Dedication Day Speech
November 19, 2008
View C-SPAN's video of the Dedication Day Ceremony at Soldiers' National Cemetery
The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, The National Park Service and Gettysburg College were delighted to have Ken Burns as the Dedication Day Speaker on November 19, 2008. To read more about Ken Burns and his accomplishments, click here. This event was endorsed by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the PA Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. Read articles from the Hanover Evening Sun and the Gettysburg Times on Dedication Day.
November 19, 2007
Dedication Day Ceremony 
Speakers: The Honorable Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior and
Jeff Shaara, bestselling historical Novelist
The Honorable Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Kempthorne was confirmed as the 49th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior on May 26, 2006, in a voice vote by the U.S. Senate. Kempthorne took the oath of office on the same day.
Prior to his confirmation as Secretary, Kempthorne served nearly two terms as Governor of Idaho, elected first in 1998 and reelected in 2002.
As Governor, Kempthorne worked to develop consensus on management of Idaho's and the West's natural resources. He worked with his colleagues in Oregon, Washington and Montana to develop an historic bipartisan agreement on a state-based solution for returning salmon runs in the region. Following the devastating wildfires of 2000, he worked with fellow western governors and federal officials to fundamentally change the approach to forest health and wildfire management. Under his leadership, Idaho developed wolf and grizzly bear management plans aimed at delisting the endangered species and giving the State of Idaho management responsibilities.
Before his terms as Governor, Kempthorne completed a successful six-year term in the United States Senate (1993-1999). As a Senator, he wrote, negotiated, and won passage of two major pieces of legislation: a bill to end unfunded federal mandates on state and local governments, and a substantial revision of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. He also worked to improve the quality of life for American active-duty military personnel, reservists, their families and veterans.
Dirk Kempthorne began his commitment to public service as the highly successful Mayor of the City of Boise (1985-1992). During his seven years in office, he helped direct a renaissance in the state's capital city that resulted in record growth, economic development and numerous national honors and recognitions for quality of life, business climate and family issues.
Secretary Kempthorne has been recognized by his peers as a national leader. As Governor, his colleagues elected him as the Chairman of the National Governors Association in August of 2003. He has served as President of the Council of State Governments and Chairman of the Western Governors Association. He served on the Executive Committees of the National Governors Association and the Republican Governors Association. Secretary of Education Rod Paige appointed then-Governor Kempthorne to the National Assessment Governing Board and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge appointed him to the Homeland Security Task Force.
Secretary Kempthorne and his wife Patricia are both University of Idaho graduates and have two grown children, Heather and Jeff.
Jeff Shaara
Jeff Shaara grew up in Tallahassee, Florida and graduated from Florida State University in 1974 with a degree in Criminology. After his father's classic Civil War novel The Killer Angels was released as the film "Gettysburg" in 1993, he was approached about finding someone to write a prequel and sequel. With no previous experience as a writer, he decided to tackle the project himself, and in 1996, Ballantine Books published his first novel, Gods and Generals, which leapt onto the New York Times Bestseller List. In 1998, he published The Last Full Measure, the final volume of the Civil War trilogy.
Jeff has continued to write bestselling historical novels, including Gone For Soldiers, about the Mexican-American War; Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause, about the American Revolution; To The Last Man, about World War I, and The Rising Tide, the first of a World War II trilogy. In 2006, he released his only non-fiction work, Jeff Shaara's Civil War Battlefields, a personal tour of ten pieces of hallowed ground. Proceeds from this book have funded Civil War battlefield preservation efforts. After many years spent in New York City and the mountains of Montana, Jeff has returned to Florida, and resides in Sarasota.
300 North Washington Street · Gettysburg, PA 17325