02/07/2026
Progress is being made almost daily at what will soon be Gettysburg’s first black history museum! It is so wonderful to see this vital resource take shape.
February is Black History Month!
Have you heard about the Hopkins House Project? In the heart of downtown Gettysburg stands a modest 19th-century log home—one of the last remaining landmarks tied to the town’s early Black history. Known as the Hopkins House, this humble structure at 219 South Washington Street was once home to Jack and Julia Hopkins, a free Black couple who raised their children in the shadow of the Civil War. Jack, a respected janitor at Gettysburg College, purchased the home in 1857 from Underground Railroad conductor Abraham Brian. His eldest son, Edward, served during the Civil War in the United States Colored Troops and went on to become Gettysburg’s first Black elected official.
Gettysburg History and the Lincoln Cemetery Project Association are in the process of transforming the Hopkins House into Gettysburg’s first permanent Black history museum. Together, we have already saved the building from condemnation and discovered that its original pre-Civil War log structure is still intact and salvageable.
Check out this incredible rendering of the museum plan!
