Above: the Rose farm looking south from the Peach Orchard
The farm of George and Dorothy Rose is south of Gettysburg on the eastern side of Emmitsburg Road.
George Rose was a butcher from Germantown, Pennsylvania, who had recently purchased the farm from Jacob Benner for over $8,000.
It was at the center of some of the fiercest fighting on the second day of the battle. Tthe Rose farm included the Stony Hill, the Rose Woods, and a twenty acre field where over 20,000 men engaged in brutal and often hand-to-hand combat leaving over six thousand killed or wounded, that ever since has been known simply as The Wheatfield.
Between 500 and 1,000 Confederate soldiers were buried on the property, and some of the most famous photograps after the battle were taken here by Alexander Gardner.
The stone farmhouse is still standing, but the barn is in ruins after being struck by lightning and burning down in 1910.
Photos at right (click on any to enlarge):
top right:
The Rose farm, loking southeast from near the ruins of the barn
second from top:
the farm lane side of the Rose farmhouse
middle right:
Northwest corner of the Rose farmhousew
next to bottom right:
the rear of the Rose farm buildings, showing outbuildings
bottom right:
the ruins of the Rose barn, destroyed by lightning and fire in 1910 |
