Musselman Library Exhibits
Browse current exhibits on display in Musselman Library.
Past exhibits are available by year.
Current Exhibits
Digging Deeper: Gettysburg Archeology and the Student Experience: January - December 2026
Exhibit at Musselman Library
Main Level Apse
This exhibit tells the story of the story of the Hopkins family and the excavation of their home, located between Pennsylvania Hall and Musselman Library.
From 2021-2025, Gettysburg students have gained hands-on archeological experience through digs on campus. Guided by Professors Kirby Farah and Benjamin Luley, students learned field methods. They uncovered nineteenth-century pottery and glass shards, nails and other metal artifacts, bones and oyster shells, and Civil War ammunition.
Michael Aaron ’26 and Riley Yorke ’26 curated this exhibit.
Fraktur-ing the Family: The Printed Art of the Pennsylvania Germans: May 2026 - May 2027
Exhibit at Musselman Library
Special Collections Reading Room
Featuring 11 pieces from the Elizabeth H. Paul, Class of 1964, Collection of PA German Fraktur. Selections on exhibit feature decorative motifs such as birds, hearts, and biblical symbols. Fraktur, a distinctive printed art form developed by Pennsylvania-German communities is known for sharp Gothic lettering and bright colors. Fraktur prints were often used to document important life events like births and baptisms. The exhibit also provides information about the artists, printing methods, and cultural traditions behind the works. Visitors can create their own fraktur certificates using stamps featuring designs from the collection.
Fraktur-ing the Family will be on display in the Special Collections Reading Room through May 2027, it was curated by Riley Yorke, Class of 2026, and the 2025-2026 Tricia Smelter Intern.
The Mandalas of Jack Youngerman: July 2024 - Present
Exhibit at Musselman Library
Main Level Apse
The Youngerman works on display are selections from the Gettysburg College collection, a gift from Lawrence A. and Pamela J. Rosenberg in 1991. These pieces are from his limited edition “Mandala” series, embossed silkscreens he created between 1970 and 1989. Their bold colors and geometric precision exemplify Youngerman’s lifelong interest in both abstraction and organic form.
View the Youngerman prints in the apse of the library’s main level.
Past Exhibits
The Mandalas of Jack Youngerman: July 2024 - Present
Exhibit at Musselman Library
Main Level Apse
The Youngerman works on display are selections from the Gettysburg College collection, a gift from Lawrence A. and Pamela J. Rosenberg in 1991. These pieces are from his limited edition “Mandala” series, embossed silkscreens he created between 1970 and 1989. Their bold colors and geometric precision exemplify Youngerman’s lifelong interest in both abstraction and organic form.
View the Youngerman prints in the apse of the library’s main level.
Recent Additions
MS-358: Fortescue Family Papers
Joseph L. Fortescue’s diary ranges from 1842-1848 with one entry on April 14, 1865. He discusses everyday life, the birth of one of his sons, the Election of 1842, and has a later entry concerning the assassination of President Lincoln. He discusses daily weather as well as his personal finances. Lectures delivered by Louis R. Fortescue to Civil War veterans c. 1910 include the history and founding of the United States Signal Corps and the speaker’s involvement in the early stages of the corps. He details how his unit sent signals from Emmitsburg, Maryland around the time of the Battle of Gettysburg and states that they were instrumental in the Union's success, especially warning the Union about preparations for Pickett’s Charge. He mentions being taken as a prisoner of war and being imprisoned for twenty months. Before his military service, Fortescue worked with John Wilkes Booth in a theatre and recounts an interaction he had with him the week before Lincoln's assassination. Several of Fortescue's speeches were delivered with the goal of memorializing the late President Lincoln and commemorating his achievements.