I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Spangler Farm was opened up for the public to see. It is another of those sites where you go to the Gettysburg Military Park and Visitor Center to get on a shuttle bus that takes you to this farm. There is still a lot of work to be done on the property, but the program being presented in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg was very special. A friend of mine, Bill, who is also the brother of one of my co-workers at the Shriver House, was doing a first person interpretation of a Civil War medical cadet dramatizing how he felt when all of the wounded had started to arrive and the conditions they suffered under. He also explained how emotionally distraught he was at how overwhelming the work was and to see some of his friends being brought in and knowing they would not survive their wounds. His performance was emotionally felt by everyone there. I later spoke with Bill to tell him what a wonderful job he had done. You see, when one historic interpreter compliments another interpreter, the one receiving the congratulations really knows they have done an excellent job during their presentation. In this line of work you may not hear many compliments and tips are even fewer, so a compliment like this means a lot.
Also, while on this property I found out this is where General Armistead was brought for treatment of his wounds. It was the small stone building pictured below where he later died.
I am not sure how long this particular program will be going on, but it certainly was worth the visit. For now it is being done on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
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