In 1760, Irishman Samuel Gettys settled at the Shippensburg-Baltimore and Philadelphia-Pittsburgh crossroads, in what was then western York County, and established a tavern frequented by soldiers and traders.

In 1786, his son James purchased 116 acres of his land, divided it up into 220 lots and sold them, and is thus considered the founder of Gettysburgh.

In 1791, additional trustees were appointed to plan to construct public buildings in Gettysburg instead of in Straban.

In 2011, Senator Robert Casey introduced S. 1897, including the railroad station within the boundary of Gettysburg National Military Park.

[10] By 1860, the borough had grown in size to consist of "450 buildings [which] housed carriage manufacturing, shoemakers, and tanneries".

Lee executed an orderly withdrawal and escaped across the Potomac River without being drawn into another battle.

Meade was heavily criticized by President Abraham Lincoln for his cautious pursuit and failure to destroy Lee's retreating army.

She was hit by a stray bullet that passed through her kitchen door while she was making bread on July 3.

Early tourist buildings in the borough included museums (like the 1881 Danner Museum[14]), souvenir shops, buildings of the electric trolley (preceded by a horse trolley from the Gettysburg Railroad Station to the Springs Hotel), and stands for hackmen who drove visitors in jitneys (horse-drawn group taxis) on tours.

Modern tourist services in the borough include ghost tours, bed and breakfast lodging, and historical interpretation (reenactors, etc.).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km2), all land.

[20] Pennsylvania's first on-farm methane digester was built near Gettysburg at the Mason-Dixon Farm in 1978, and generates 600KW.

[23][24][25] As of the 2010 census, Gettysburg had a population of 7,620, and was 79.6% non-Hispanic white, 10.9% Hispanic or Latino, 5.4% African American, 1.9% Asian, 2.2% all other.

[33] Beginning in 2011, a Rabbit Transit commuter bus to Harrisburg runs two times each weekday in each direction.