Courtesy of the National Park Service.
When President Abraham Lincoln first arrived in Gettysburg, Pa., it was the day before he was to speak at the dedication of the National Soldiers Cemetery, and his comments hadn’t yet been completed. He needed a placed to stay the night and work.
Gettysburg attorney David Wills owned the largest house on the downtown square and he had also been the person to invite the President to speak at the dedication. So in November 1863, it wasn’t surprising that he played host to Abraham Lincoln.
Wills Role in the Gettysburg Address
It was Wills who convinced the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to purchase 17 acres to become a cemetery for the soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg that had occurred less than five months prior. He planned the cemetery dedication for November 19, 1863, with Edward Everett as the main speaker and President Lincoln who was expected to make “a few appropriate remarks.”
Lincoln arrived on a special train from Washington on Nov. 18, accompanied by members of his cabinet and foreign ambassadors. Lincoln was escorted to the David Wills house.
That evening Lincoln dined with Everett and others while a crowd gathered outside hoping to see the President. They began calling for Lincoln, and he eventually appeared. He waved to them but he declined to speak.
Following that, he retired to his room where he put the finishing touches on his remarks, which would become immortalized as The Gettysburg Address after the cemetery dedication.
David Wills House Today
The David Will House is now a museum in downtown Gettysburg. The National Park Service spent $7.2 million to renovate the home in 20098 and restore it to its Civil War appearance. The museum is part of the Gettysburg National Military Park and operated by Main Street Gettysburg.
The museum includes seven galleries, including the office where Wills coordinated the town’s clean-up and recovery from the famous battle and the bedroom where Lincoln stayed the night.
Courtesy of the National Park Service.
Artifacts at the Wills House
The museum has artifacts related to Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address, and Gettysburg that have never been displayed before.
“What is unique about the artifact display in the David Wills House is that we’ve been fortunate enough to get in touch with descendants of David Wills, and they’ve been very generous,” Gettysburg National Military Park Supervisor of Museum Services Greg Goodell said in the Gettysburg Times.
The artifacts include the bed Lincoln slept on at the house, a saddle cover that Lincoln sat on as he rode to the dedication ceremony, a figurine that belonged to Mrs. Wills; and a telegram sent to the president by Mary Todd Lincoln concerning the illness of their son, Tad. Also included will be artifacts from the park’s collection that pertain to the house.
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