Community Media of South Central PA Celebrating Community
Gettysburg, PA – Educational programs, musical performances and culturally centered events are planned to commemorate Juneteenth in Gettysburg, starting with a ceremony at the town’s historic Black cemetery.
The commemoration begins on June 19 at Lincoln Cemetery — Gettysburg’s only surviving Black cemetery — which will host a public ceremony and graveside tours. The cemetery, the final resting place of more than 450 local residents, invites the community to honor Juneteenth and walk in the footsteps of ordinary citizens who played a monumental role in shaping the story of Gettysburg. Jean Green, president of the Lincoln Cemetery Project Association, will provide complimentary tours of the cemetery at 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. prior to the program’s start.
The commemorative program will begin at 5:45 p.m., during which Green will acknowledge the significance of Juneteenth and share updates regarding the cemetery’s efforts to honor more than 130 unknown dead buried there. Lincoln Cemetery will soon begin placing grave markers reading “Unknown” over remains identified through ground-penetrating radar.
“To this day, Lincoln Cemetery holds strong emotional and historical ties to Gettysburg’s Black community,” Green said. “It is fitting that we will commemorate Juneteenth in a place that is vital to telling the entire story of Gettysburg.”
June 19 will also mark the 2025 launch of the Gettysburg Black History Trail. Unveiled in June 2024, the self-guided trail highlights historic locations that paint a picture of Gettysburg’s Black heritage. At the Juneteenth commemoration, representatives from Destination Gettysburg will reveal two new locations and audio enhancements added to the trail.
The Juneteenth commemoration at Lincoln Cemetery will conclude with the playing of taps at 6 p.m. Through a new partnership with the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania’s One Hundred Nights of Taps program, taps will sound every Sunday at 6 p.m. at Lincoln Cemetery from June 22 through Aug. 31. These weekly performances will be in addition to the One Hundred Nights of Taps program held nightly at the Pennsylvania Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park at 7 p.m. through Labor Day.
“We are privileged to be given the opportunity to participate with our One Hundred Nights of Taps, Gettysburg program at the Lincoln Cemetery,” said Wendy Allen, president of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania. “Lincoln Cemetery at Gettysburg has a deep and rich history that deserves recognition, and we are honored to help bring greater attention to it.”
All are welcome to attend the Juneteenth commemoration at Lincoln Cemetery on June 19 at the intersection of Lincoln and Long lanes in Gettysburg. Guests may bring their own chairs. Parking will be available along Long Lane and at Gettysburg Rec Park.
Juneteenth commemorations will continue across Gettysburg on June 21 and 22. Events, which are free and open to the public, will include:
- Educational programs and a walking tour at the Seminary Ridge Museum on June 21 between 11:45 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Songs and Stories of a Civil War Hospital at Christ Lutheran Church in Gettysburg on June 21 at 7 p.m., featuring music, historic interpreters and a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Showcase of Black-owned businesses, food trucks, local artists, and a performance by jazz and blues artist Antoinette Montague at the Majestic Theater on June 22 from 3 to 8 p.m. No tickets are required.
Learn more about Juneteenth events in Gettysburg by visiting DestinationGettysburg.com/juneteenth-gettysburg-celebration.
