David Wills House

David Wills House
Name	David Wills House
Caption	David Wills House, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Location	8 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	39.8309°N 77.2311°W
Built	1863
Architect	John F. Eicholtz
Architecture	Victorian, Federal
Governing body	National Park Service
Designation	National Historic Landmark (1961)

Contents

David Wills House The David Wills House is an historic residence in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania notable as the place where Abraham Lincoln stayed before delivering the Gettysburg Address and where key arrangements for Gettysburg National Cemetery were completed. The house connects to figures such as David Wills, Edward Everett, and staff of the United States Christian Commission, and links to institutions including the National Park Service, Adams County Historical Society, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

History

Constructed in 1863 amid the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, the house became prominent when David Wills invited dignitaries including Edward Everett and hosted delegations from states such as Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and New Jersey. During the Civil War period contemporaries such as George G. Meade, Ulysses S. Grant, and staff connected to the Army of the Potomac influenced local arrangements. Following Lincoln's visit, preservation advocates including members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and organizations like the American Battlefield Trust and Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association shaped the house's custodial history. Over the late 19th and 20th centuries, restoration efforts involved figures from the National Park Service, scholars from Gettysburg College, and donors associated with the Smithsonian Institution and Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

The building combines elements of Victorian architecture and Federal architecture and exhibits interiors reflecting mid-19th century residential design similar to examples found at Shenandoah National Park and preserved sites like Montpelier (James Madison's estate). Notable architectural features include period parlors, a small guest bedroom where Lincoln lodged, and original woodwork and plaster reminiscent of contemporary homes in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and Baltimore. Furnishings and material culture in the house relate to collections standards used by institutions such as the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. The property occupies a parcel near Lincoln Square, Gettysburg and faces the Gettysburg National Cemetery and nearby landscape features documented by photographers like Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner during the Civil War.

The house is historically tied to the preparation and delivery of the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. Visitors including Edward Everett, Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin, and clergy from the United States Christian Commission met there with Lincoln and Wills to finalize logistics for the dedication of Gettysburg National Cemetery. Contemporary newspapers such as the New York Times, Harper's Weekly, and the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the events, as did correspondents linked to wire services like Associated Press and telegraph companies including Western Union. The lodging of Lincoln in the small upstairs room and the drafting or revision of remarks in that setting have been the subject of scholarship at institutions like Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, and research published by the American Historical Association.

Operated as a museum by local organizations in partnership with the National Park Service and overseen by professionals affiliated with the American Alliance of Museums, the house displays artifacts connected to Lincoln, the dedication ceremony, and Civil War-era Gettysburg. Exhibits have been curated using best practices common to museums such as the National Museum of American History and documented in catalogues comparable to those from the Library Company of Philadelphia. Conservation projects have drawn expertise from specialists who have worked on collections at Mount Vernon, Ford's Theatre National Historic Site, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The site hosts educational programs attended by visitors from universities including Gettysburg College, Temple University, Pennsylvania State University, and international scholars from Oxford University and Trinity College Dublin.

The house figures in broader commemorative networks that include the Gettysburg Address sites, the Gettysburg Battlefield, and national memory institutions such as the National Archives and Records Administration and the Library of Congress. It appears in literature, film, and media narratives alongside portrayals of Lincoln by actors documented in productions relating to Steven Spielberg-era historical filmmaking and documentary work by producers from Ken Burns-style projects. Civic commemoration events at the house have engaged organizations like the United States Congress, Pennsylvania General Assembly, and veteran groups including the Grand Army of the Republic and modern descendants in the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Through preservation and interpretation, the home continues to inform scholarship on Lincolnic rhetoric examined by academics at Columbia University, Stanford University, and museums including the National Civil War Museum.