A rainy afternoon in late September in Gettysburg brought me to this historic duplex. It’s almost that time of year that occurs in town every October where the paranormal enthusiasts come to talk to past family members, friends, soldiers, and other unforeseen entities. This house though is quite confusing to a visitor to town, or for true historians. This house has been named the following since the Civil War:
- Gettysburg’s Oldest Museum
- Jennie Wade House and Museum
- Jennie Wade Museum
Jennie Wade never owned the house. She was just the sister of Georgia who lived on the left side of the house. There was another family that lived on the right side of the house. Jennie was at the house during the battle of Gettysburg because of family matters.
Jennie’s sister, Georgia, established the McClellan two-story rented brick duplex after her marriage with John Louis “Lou” McClellan. They married on April 15, 1862, (same day as the Titanic sinking fifty years later), and lived here at the house through 1866. Her husband was serving with the 2nd regiment of the Pennsylvania infantry, but the regiment didn’t fight at Gettysburg.
On June 26, 1863, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Georgia delivered her first child named Louis Kenneth McClellan at the duplex at 548 Baltimore Street. An hour later, three Union soldiers quickly rode past the house to escape Confederate General Early’s cavalry from being captured. One of them passed away further south of the duplex along Rock Creek named George Washington Sandoe.
Since Georgia and her newborn son couldn’t move, the Wade family moved to the duplex for the battle. Sadly though, on July 3rd, at around 8:30 a.m., Jennie Wade was shot as she was kneading bread in the kitchen. The bullet penetrated the outer and inner doors, went through her back, and ended up in the front of her corset. She was dead before she hit the floor. She was the only civilian that died during the battle of Gettysburg.