Experience history firsthand at Eisenhower National Historic Site during the 2026 World War II Weekend, taking place September 18-20. This year’s programs and activities will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States by exploring how the ideals of America’s founding inspired Americans and Allies during World War II. The weekend will feature a living history encampment, guest speakers, ranger-guided walking tours, family activities for visitors of all ages and more.
Stephanie Stephens has been selected as superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park, Eisenhower National Historic Site, and Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument. Stephens currently serves as the acting regional director for the Midwest Region of the National Park Service and will assume her new role this fall.
A 160-acre grassland restoration project will begin May 9, 2026, in areas surrounding the Pennsylvania Monument and the Eternal Light Peace Memorial of the Gettysburg National Military Park.
Gettysburg National Military Park staff and U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) staff are preparing to conduct a prescribed fire on March 8, weather permitting. Park and USWFS staff plan to burn portions of the west slope of Little Round Top (52 acres) and the Munshower field (36 acres) immediately north of Little Round Top. Prescribed fire activity will be completed as soon as all safety protocols are met.
On March 6, 2026, National Park Service law enforcement rangers, with assistance from the Carlisle (PA) Police Department, arrested Lucas J. Reisinger, 36, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on two felony counts of destruction of veterans’ memorials in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1369. Reisinger is accused of carving his initials into two monuments at Little Round Top in Gettysburg National Military Park in September 2025.
During recent white-tailed deer reduction operations and subsequent disease sampling at Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) and Eisenhower National Historic Site (NHS), two deer tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This marks the first confirmed case of CWD at Gettysburg NMP.
Staff at Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) report that one of the capstones of the South Confederate Avenue Bridge over Plum Run, best known as “Dinosaur Bridge,” that contains a dinosaur fossil, was vandalized on Thursday, September 25.
This fall, Gettysburg National Military Park invites visitors to “Fall into History,” over two extraordinary weekends of ranger-led programs, dramatic storytelling, and immersive battlefield walks, set against the vibrant backdrop of autumn in Pennsylvania.
Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) and Eisenhower National Historic Site (NHS) will conduct lethal removal of white-tailed deer as part of the White-tailed Deer Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement between September 2025 through March 2026.
Join Eisenhower National Historic Site (NHS) staff for our annual World War II Weekend from September 19 to 21. The focus of this year’s event will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II by focusing on the people, events, and legacies of 1945. Park rangers, guest speakers, living historians, and partner organizations will bring the events of 1945 to life through three days of interactive programming, tours, and activities for visitors of all ages.
Gettysburg National Military Park will commemorate the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg from Tuesday, July 1 through Thursday, July 3, 2025, with a series of special ranger-led programs, immersive battlefield walks, family activities, and evening presentations by renowned historians. All programs are free and open to the public.
On June 6, 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Allied Expeditionary Force embarked upon “the great crusade” as thousands of Allied troops landed in Normandy, France, to begin the liberation of Europe. To commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Normandy invasion, staff from Eisenhower National Historic Site will lead a special walking tour of D-Day burial sites in Gettysburg National Cemetery on Friday, June 6, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
On May 8-10, Eisenhower National Historic Site will offer special ranger-guided tours of WWII burial sites in Gettysburg National Cemetery to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day and the end of WWII in Europe. Each program will begin at 5:30 pm at the Taneytown Rd. entrance to the cemetery.
Eisenhower National Historic Site (NHS) staff are excited to unveil a new exhibit in the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. This temporary exhibit now includes a reproduction gown, similar to that worn by Mamie Eisenhower at the 1953 inaugural ball of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Special opportunities and programming will be available for visitors with visual and auditory sensitivities to enjoy with their family and friends. Visitors can experience activities in a relaxed environment for a calmer and quieter visit.
Gettysburg National Military Park will start the new year with events for families and young learners. Our History Kids Reading Adventure Club (ages 4 to 10) and our Time Travelers Reading Adventures Club (ages 7 to 12) offers families with younger children an opportunity to travel back in time to learn about different figures and topics of our shared past.
Beginning January 4, 2025, the popular Winter Lecture series will begin at Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP). Featuring some of the best National Park Service rangers and historians from across the region, the 8-week Winter Lecture Series of hour-long talks will examine a wide array of subjects related to the American Civil War and Gettysburg history.
Eighty years ago this December, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Allied forces faced one of their greatest challenges of World War II when the Battle of the Bulge erupted in the Ardennes Forest. More than 30 Americans who died in the Battle of the Bulge are buried in Gettysburg National Cemetery. On Saturday, December 14, join a park ranger in Gettysburg National Cemetery at 3 pm for a special ranger-guided walking tour to commemorate the 80th anniversary of this battle.
Superintendent Kristina Heister announced today that Zachary Bolitho has been selected as the Deputy Superintendent for Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) and Eisenhower National Historic Site (NHS). Bolitho has worked at Gettysburg NMP and Eisenhower NHS as Division Lead of Resource Stewardship and Planning since 2011. He started his new assignment on September 22, 2024.
A new National Park Service report shows that 742,000 visitors to Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) and 98,000 visitors to Eisenhower National Historic Site (NHS) in 2023 spent $61.4 million dollars in communities near the park. That spending supported 734 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $88.5 million dollars.
Join Eisenhower National Historic Site (NHS) staff for our annual World War II Weekend from September 20 to 22. This year’s event theme is 1944, remembering the millions of Americans and Allies in arms who joined together with General Dwight D. Eisenhower in a “great crusade” to fight for freedom over fascism 80 years ago. Park rangers, guest speakers, living historians, and partner organizations will bring the stories and people of 1944 to life through three days of interactive programming and activities for visitors of all ages.
Two separate incidents of vandalism were reported to park officials at Gettysburg National Military Park on August 15 and August 19. Park staff reported multiple boulders on Little Round Top had graffiti scribed into the large stones on August 15. Battlefield visitors reported that the historic War Department Observation Tower on Oak Ridge was spray painted with graffiti on August 19.
Gettysburg National Military Park is pleased to announce the registration dates for the Tier-1 Written Exam. The written exam is the first step in a multi-tiered licensing process to become a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park.
Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) staff are seeking public assistance regarding vandalism at Gettysburg NMP between February 13 and February 19, 2024. The vandalism occurred in the northern section of the battlefield at the Benner barn. Law enforcement rangers are conducting an active investigation and are seeking public assistance.
Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) staff are seeking public assistance regarding artifacts that went missing between December of 2023 and January of 2024. The artifacts were taken from a historical site near Brooke Avenue, commonly referred to the Timbers farm, on the southern end of the battlefield. Law enforcement rangers are conducting an active investigation and are seeking public assistance.
On July 18 and 19, 2024, Gettysburg National Military Park and Gettysburg Foundation staff received a delegation from our Sister Park, the Sekigahara Battlefield, Sekigahara, Japan. Representatives from the Gifu Prefecture government, Sekigahara Battlefield and Japanese tourism associates were in attendance. Since the 2016 World Battlefields Summit Joint Declaration, this most recent visit continued the Sister Park relationship between the Gettysburg and Sekigahara battlefields.
Beginning Monday July 29, park roads on the eastern portion of the battlefield in the Culp’s Hill and Spangler’s Spring areas, Coster Avenue, and Benner Hill will be repaved. This three-month project will address road surfaces that are at the end of their lifespan.
Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) announces temporary road closures prior to the annual fireworks demonstration. Park roads will begin to close at 8 pm on July 4, 2024.
Gettysburg National Military Park celebrated the reopening of Little Round Top with a Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting earlier this morning. The Little Round Top area of the Gettysburg battlefield, that saw extensive fighting on the afternoon of July 2, 1863 was closed for extensive rehabilitation efforts. The area is expected to reopen to the public later today.
Join Eisenhower National Historic Site (NHS) staff to remember and honor the men and women, who 80 years ago, who took part in General Dwight Eisenhower’s “great crusade” to liberate Europe. From June 6-9, park staff will host special programming at Eisenhower NHS and in Gettysburg National Cemetery to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) is pleased to announce that two historic homes on the Gettysburg battlefield, the Michael Bushman and the John Slyder houses, will be available for overnight accommodations beginning on May 24, 2024.
“Doors Open Gettysburg” offers an insider’s look at the history of four magnificent battlefield and farm structures at Gettysburg National Military Park.
Most forests in eastern United States national parks are at risk due to browsing by overabundant white-tailed deer and crowding by invasive plants, according to a National Park Service (NPS) study published in the journal Ecological Applications.
