April 22, 2026 • 15 mins
Step onto the hallowed ground of Gettysburg and discover a powerful story that goes far beyond the battlefield. In this episode of the Travels with Darley Podcast, Darley explores General Robert E. Lee’s Headquarters—once the home of widow Mary Thompson, later transformed by war, development, and ultimately, preservation. Joined by American Battlefield Trust President David Duncan, this journey reveals how a site once overtaken by a motel and restaurant has been painstakingly restored to reflect its Civil War-era significance, offering visitors a rare chance to truly visualize history where it happened.
But this episode isn’t just about the past—it’s about the ongoing work to protect it. From the surprising story of a weathered doghouse to large-scale efforts to reclaim threatened land, Darley uncovers the human side of history and the modern heroes working to preserve it. Through immersive storytelling and expert insight, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for why places like Gettysburg matter—not only as sites of memory, but as living classrooms that connect us to the people, stories, and defining moments that shaped America.
Get more trip itineraires, travel advice, Darley's Revolutionary Road Trip book and more at darley-newman.com
But this episode isn’t just about the past—it’s about the ongoing work to protect it. From the surprising story of a weathered doghouse to large-scale efforts to reclaim threatened land, Darley uncovers the human side of history and the modern heroes working to preserve it. Through immersive storytelling and expert insight, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for why places like Gettysburg matter—not only as sites of memory, but as living classrooms that connect us to the people, stories, and defining moments that shaped America.
Get more trip itineraires, travel advice, Darley's Revolutionary Road Trip book and more at darley-newman.com
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(00:00):
A recently preserved historic property at Gettysburg Battlefield, the home of a widow,
(00:06):
turned into the headquarters for General Robert E. Lee during the Civil War.
And later, a motel restaurant, and now restored back to how it would have looked during the Civil War,
were venturing to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania to General Lee's Headquarters
in this podcast. To explore the story of the battle, the people who lived through it,
(00:28):
and the fight to preserve history itself. We're meeting up with David Duncan,
president of the American Battlefield Trust, at Lee's Headquarters, and a second site,
where preservation is unfolding, to better understand the stories of the modern efforts
to bring historic places back from the brink of being lost.
It's the Travels with Darley Podcast, where by traveling with locals and experts
(00:53):
we gain special insights into the places, people, and experiences that help us see the world in a new way.
So let's travel back in time through preserved places, this time in Gettysburg.
A small one and a half story stone home was in a key position in the Confederate line during
(01:17):
the Battle of Gettysburg. Like so many residences during battles, it was taken over. In this case,
the resident, widow Mary Thompson, would have General Robert E. Lee in her home,
which served as his headquarters. Today, the home is preserved as a site that travelers can visit,
thanks to the efforts of the American Battlefield Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated
(01:40):
to preserving historic battlefield land in the United States. The American Battlefield Trust's
president, David Duncan, is meeting me on this chilly fall day in Gettysburg at the site of General
Lee's headquarters. A bright blue sign by the road marks the entrance to a small parking lot,
where David greets me in khaki pants and a navy blue quarters-it pullover with a logo of his
(02:06):
organization, the American Battlefield Trust on his front left pocket.
The modern road here right beside the Thompson House is actually in the trace of the original
wartime road as well. This was a very important transportation artery coming into Gettysburg
from the west. Mrs Thompson's house right here, of course, next to the road.
(02:28):
The road is today US Route 30, also known as the historic Lincoln Highway.
It's relatively busy with a steady stream of cars and trucks passing through Gettysburg and the
National Park. Lee's headquarters tells the story of Mary Thompson who lived here. She was 70 at
the time of the battle. This picture was taken facing on the other side of the road and you can
(02:50):
literally go through and line up the stones on the other face of the house. David's pointing to an
interpretive sign facing the home and along a paved walkway, one of a few interpretive signs at
the site to help guide travelers through the history. Behind us are the remains of an old antebellum
barn which stood here before the battle, but back then had a wood-framed section larger than the
(03:16):
stone foundations we see today. That wood frame housed the stables. In later years, the barn was
taken down and replaced with modern housing, which again was later removed back to the original
stonework we see today. In the 1950s, there was multiple buildings that were here that are not today.
Correct. Yeah, a restaurant all the way around us behind us was a single story, but multiple
(03:43):
building type of motel structure just completely developed parking lots, asphalt everywhere.
Following the battle of Gettysburg, the home, and Mary Thompson, became an attraction for tourists
and reporters. By 1967, the motel with a swimming pool, a restaurant and brew pub would have been
(04:04):
built at the site, surrounding the Mary Thompson house. And in 2014, we heard from local folks here
that the owners of the property were looking to sell and our biggest concern if somebody were to
come in and build a three or four story hotel right on this high ground. It would very negatively impact
(04:28):
the rest of the battlefield national park here and telling the story of the first day.
This was the location of intense fighting on July 1st, 1863, and it was also strategically
located on a high point. We would use it to direct troop movements and coordinate strategy as
Confederate forces pushed into Gettysburg. As the fighting waged on, the home would turn into a
(04:53):
makeshift hospital. The American battlefield trust purchased the property and restored it back to
what it would have looked like during the battle. This helps visitors visualize what it was like here
during the Civil War when the house was turned into these headquarters and a hospital where Mary
Thompson herself tended to delundate. But it goes back to part of our mission which is telling the
(05:18):
story of what happened at these very important places and giving people a sense of the power of
place. And it was very difficult to interpret what happened here, Robert E. Lee's headquarters,
Mary Thompson's story when you're surrounded by that type of development. Much easier now.
Much easier for people to go back in time and visualize. Exactly. We tried, when we did the restoration,
(05:46):
we wanted to bring it back to the point where if Robert E. Lee or any of the soldiers on either side
who fought in this battle came back today, they would know exactly where they were. People tend to
crave that. I think when they come to a place like a battlefield, they want to see what the soldiers
saw and it's very difficult to have a meaningful interpretive experience when you're standing in a
(06:10):
parking lot looking at the side of a building that wasn't there during the time of the battle.
But many people think about national parks and they don't know that many places like this were
preserved over time. Exactly right, darling. The parks when they were setting them up many, many years
ago, they got as much land and as much property as they could at the time. Where we're standing right
(06:32):
now here at Lee's headquarters was not one of those places. That's why organizations like the trust
exist so that we can go in and save these still very important parcels and hopefully add them to
the parks later. What do you think is most interesting about this site and location? This is a very,
very meaningful site to me because of the preservation story that it tells. People who come here now
(07:00):
who didn't know what it was just 10 years ago in terms of a developed site with a hotel and a restaurant
etc etc. They don't know what a miracle this actually is to be able to preserve and restore a
piece of important hall of ground like this to the way it looked during the time of the battle. It's
took a very long time, a lot of money and a lot of effort, but it's a gift to future generations who
(07:26):
can now come here and learn from this place. So this has been painstakingly restored.
Absolutely. Even to the extent that you'll see back here it's hard to tell that there's a doghouse.
We've even restored the doghouse. Well I've got to see this doghouse traveling around the USA
in the world for the past two decades. I've seen a lot of ancient historic and amazing places
(07:51):
where history is preserved but also places too that were torn down and replaced by something new.
Not always bad but sometimes devastating to sharing the stories of what came before.
Restoring places like these takes a lot of time, money, patience and thought. We walk around the
(08:12):
back of the stone home to see the doghouse. We're Austin. The family dog lived during the Civil War.
So David, the family that lived here, they actually did have a dog named Austin. They did.
And we can tell from the original glass plate negatives that were taken of this house immediately
(08:33):
after the battle. We can tell from the photographs it was one of the most beat up and decrepit looking
doghouses we've ever seen. So we actually encourage visitors to the site to come here and give it a
kick or a punch and to make it look even more authentic. I'd you by part, giving the white wooden doghouse
which even includes Austin's name painted in black on the front. Okay yeah that's what I love about
(08:59):
visiting sites like this. These are the stories that you don't necessarily read in the history of books.
Exactly. I think that's another key aspect of history. We think of these people as living
so long ago when they were ancient but darling they were just like us. They had families, they had
children. They had pets and so that's a very important part of the story to tell as well.
(09:21):
Following my meeting with David Duncan, I looked back to find out more about Austin and Mary Thompson
and found an article published on October 28th, 2016 from a ribbon cutting ceremony at least headquarters
unveiling the restored Mary Thompson house. 700 people were in attendance. The reporter even
(09:42):
included a photograph of Austin's doghouse in the article. Notable to Garry Adelman, an author
of dozens of books on the Civil War and chief historian at the American Battlefield Trust
was at the dedication. His picture made it into the paper. Why am I not surprised?
And then imagine 165,000 soldiers being here and fighting over three days. How seriously
(10:07):
their lives were disrupted after this battle too because this and every other building for miles
around became a hospital to treat wounded soldiers and that impact was spelled here in Gettysburg
for decades after the battle. It's interesting to see how parks and places get protected and preserved.
(10:28):
David and I traveled just down the road to Baltimore Pike near East Cemetery Hill to the
McKnight House, another Battlefield Trust preservation project. This one not as far along as
least headquarters. We're at the site of the McKnight House which was an original wartime structure
may look a little rough at the moment because we're working to stabilize it and restore it
(10:51):
so that again people can experience this part of the battlefield as it was during the time of the
battle. It's a lot of work, a lot of work. It's a lot of work but it also goes to show that a lot of times
what we see today is preserve land or parks it comes together as a patchwork, the proofs.
We like to say that we're constantly putting the puzzle pieces together. Over time again working
(11:15):
with localities with our donors putting together those different parts. It's a very long game
sometimes it takes landowners years to get to the point where they're willing to sell their
property for preservation but hopefully then we can put together the puzzle and have a wonderful
picture. How many projects are there like this here at Gettysburg National Military Park or in
(11:38):
the area? Currently right now in Gettysburg all across the battlefield we're working through a
multi-year, multi-million dollar phased project to restore key parts of the battlefield. These are
very very large projects but the impact they will have in terms of restoring the landscape to the
(12:01):
way it looked during the time of the battle that's part of our mission that's what we're here to do.
The Magnaite House's location is significant. Tens of thousands of union troops marched past the
property on July 1st and 2nd, fighting broke out here on the evening of July 2nd. Records also
showed union soldiers temporarily buried here on and around the property before the soldiers
(12:26):
national cemetery was established. That's where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November
1863. At the time both lots were zoned for mixed use development and the night house had no preservation
protections. David why is it important for people to visit battlefields? Well we truly believe that
(12:49):
battlefields are the places where our country was created and defined and if you want to know
about America and how we became the country that you are well you need to go to those places where
those great events happen that define this country and there's no better place to go than a preserved
(13:13):
and interpreted battlefield to act as an outdoor classroom to teach you so much more than you ever
could have learned about that time in our history and you get it in a way that's much more memorable
and evocative than you will ever get in any history textbook. If you want to learn about your
country's history hopefully come away being a better citizen a battlefield is a great place to do.
(13:40):
It truly is outside of a textbook classroom or old photograph you can walk in the steps of general
B soldiers and the everyday people and pets like Mary Thompson and Austin who were so much a part of
American history and our greater story. You can learn more about Gettysburg National Military Park
(14:03):
and the latest episode of Travels with Darley communities that shaped America on PBS and streaming
and coming to YouTube and of course by visiting yourself if you do keep in mind that sometimes these
parks and areas have hidden gems like general lease headquarters and you can also explore these
(14:23):
the American Battlefield Trust has information on these sites and visiting as well as other
locations that need their story kept alive. I'm Darley Newman and I appreciate you taking another
journey with me along with unsung heroes of the past and present. Thanks for listening.
Check back in this podcast to hear about other places you might want to explore and look for
(14:48):
upcoming episodes of the Travels with Darley podcast and TV series and if you haven't please
subscribe. You can also check out new episodes of my PBS series out now and coming out next year
we'll be debuting our hundredth episode season of our TV series. We're out filming now.
You can look for us on the road on social media and check out my new book it's called Revolutionary
(15:14):
Road Trip and it takes you to lesser known locations to reveal stories of the American Revolution.
These are sites that you can visit and please pre-order it. It helps to get me into local bookstores
across the nation. It's on Amazon and we're everywhere by books. As always thanks for traveling.
A recently preserved historic property at Gettysburg Battlefield, the home of a widow,
(00:06):
turned into the headquarters for General Robert E. Lee during the Civil War.
And later, a motel restaurant, and now restored back to how it would have looked during the Civil War,
were venturing to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania to General Lee's Headquarters
in this podcast. To explore the story of the battle, the people who lived through it,
(00:28):
and the fight to preserve history itself. We're meeting up with David Duncan,
president of the American Battlefield Trust, at Lee's Headquarters, and a second site,
where preservation is unfolding, to better understand the stories of the modern efforts
to bring historic places back from the brink of being lost.
It's the Travels with Darley Podcast, where by traveling with locals and experts
(00:53):
we gain special insights into the places, people, and experiences that help us see the world in a new way.
So let's travel back in time through preserved places, this time in Gettysburg.
A small one and a half story stone home was in a key position in the Confederate line during
(01:17):
the Battle of Gettysburg. Like so many residences during battles, it was taken over. In this case,
the resident, widow Mary Thompson, would have General Robert E. Lee in her home,
which served as his headquarters. Today, the home is preserved as a site that travelers can visit,
thanks to the efforts of the American Battlefield Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated
(01:40):
to preserving historic battlefield land in the United States. The American Battlefield Trust's
president, David Duncan, is meeting me on this chilly fall day in Gettysburg at the site of General
Lee's headquarters. A bright blue sign by the road marks the entrance to a small parking lot,
where David greets me in khaki pants and a navy blue quarters-it pullover with a logo of his
(02:06):
organization, the American Battlefield Trust on his front left pocket.
The modern road here right beside the Thompson House is actually in the trace of the original
wartime road as well. This was a very important transportation artery coming into Gettysburg
from the west. Mrs Thompson's house right here, of course, next to the road.
(02:28):
The road is today US Route 30, also known as the historic Lincoln Highway.
It's relatively busy with a steady stream of cars and trucks passing through Gettysburg and the
National Park. Lee's headquarters tells the story of Mary Thompson who lived here. She was 70 at
the time of the battle. This picture was taken facing on the other side of the road and you can
(02:50):
literally go through and line up the stones on the other face of the house. David's pointing to an
interpretive sign facing the home and along a paved walkway, one of a few interpretive signs at
the site to help guide travelers through the history. Behind us are the remains of an old antebellum
barn which stood here before the battle, but back then had a wood-framed section larger than the
(03:16):
stone foundations we see today. That wood frame housed the stables. In later years, the barn was
taken down and replaced with modern housing, which again was later removed back to the original
stonework we see today. In the 1950s, there was multiple buildings that were here that are not today.
Correct. Yeah, a restaurant all the way around us behind us was a single story, but multiple
(03:43):
building type of motel structure just completely developed parking lots, asphalt everywhere.
Following the battle of Gettysburg, the home, and Mary Thompson, became an attraction for tourists
and reporters. By 1967, the motel with a swimming pool, a restaurant and brew pub would have been
(04:04):
built at the site, surrounding the Mary Thompson house. And in 2014, we heard from local folks here
that the owners of the property were looking to sell and our biggest concern if somebody were to
come in and build a three or four story hotel right on this high ground. It would very negatively impact
(04:28):
the rest of the battlefield national park here and telling the story of the first day.
This was the location of intense fighting on July 1st, 1863, and it was also strategically
located on a high point. We would use it to direct troop movements and coordinate strategy as
Confederate forces pushed into Gettysburg. As the fighting waged on, the home would turn into a
(04:53):
makeshift hospital. The American battlefield trust purchased the property and restored it back to
what it would have looked like during the battle. This helps visitors visualize what it was like here
during the Civil War when the house was turned into these headquarters and a hospital where Mary
Thompson herself tended to delundate. But it goes back to part of our mission which is telling the
(05:18):
story of what happened at these very important places and giving people a sense of the power of
place. And it was very difficult to interpret what happened here, Robert E. Lee's headquarters,
Mary Thompson's story when you're surrounded by that type of development. Much easier now.
Much easier for people to go back in time and visualize. Exactly. We tried, when we did the restoration,
(05:46):
we wanted to bring it back to the point where if Robert E. Lee or any of the soldiers on either side
who fought in this battle came back today, they would know exactly where they were. People tend to
crave that. I think when they come to a place like a battlefield, they want to see what the soldiers
saw and it's very difficult to have a meaningful interpretive experience when you're standing in a
(06:10):
parking lot looking at the side of a building that wasn't there during the time of the battle.
But many people think about national parks and they don't know that many places like this were
preserved over time. Exactly right, darling. The parks when they were setting them up many, many years
ago, they got as much land and as much property as they could at the time. Where we're standing right
(06:32):
now here at Lee's headquarters was not one of those places. That's why organizations like the trust
exist so that we can go in and save these still very important parcels and hopefully add them to
the parks later. What do you think is most interesting about this site and location? This is a very,
very meaningful site to me because of the preservation story that it tells. People who come here now
(07:00):
who didn't know what it was just 10 years ago in terms of a developed site with a hotel and a restaurant
etc etc. They don't know what a miracle this actually is to be able to preserve and restore a
piece of important hall of ground like this to the way it looked during the time of the battle. It's
took a very long time, a lot of money and a lot of effort, but it's a gift to future generations who
(07:26):
can now come here and learn from this place. So this has been painstakingly restored.
Absolutely. Even to the extent that you'll see back here it's hard to tell that there's a doghouse.
We've even restored the doghouse. Well I've got to see this doghouse traveling around the USA
in the world for the past two decades. I've seen a lot of ancient historic and amazing places
(07:51):
where history is preserved but also places too that were torn down and replaced by something new.
Not always bad but sometimes devastating to sharing the stories of what came before.
Restoring places like these takes a lot of time, money, patience and thought. We walk around the
(08:12):
back of the stone home to see the doghouse. We're Austin. The family dog lived during the Civil War.
So David, the family that lived here, they actually did have a dog named Austin. They did.
And we can tell from the original glass plate negatives that were taken of this house immediately
(08:33):
after the battle. We can tell from the photographs it was one of the most beat up and decrepit looking
doghouses we've ever seen. So we actually encourage visitors to the site to come here and give it a
kick or a punch and to make it look even more authentic. I'd you by part, giving the white wooden doghouse
which even includes Austin's name painted in black on the front. Okay yeah that's what I love about
(08:59):
visiting sites like this. These are the stories that you don't necessarily read in the history of books.
Exactly. I think that's another key aspect of history. We think of these people as living
so long ago when they were ancient but darling they were just like us. They had families, they had
children. They had pets and so that's a very important part of the story to tell as well.
(09:21):
Following my meeting with David Duncan, I looked back to find out more about Austin and Mary Thompson
and found an article published on October 28th, 2016 from a ribbon cutting ceremony at least headquarters
unveiling the restored Mary Thompson house. 700 people were in attendance. The reporter even
(09:42):
included a photograph of Austin's doghouse in the article. Notable to Garry Adelman, an author
of dozens of books on the Civil War and chief historian at the American Battlefield Trust
was at the dedication. His picture made it into the paper. Why am I not surprised?
And then imagine 165,000 soldiers being here and fighting over three days. How seriously
(10:07):
their lives were disrupted after this battle too because this and every other building for miles
around became a hospital to treat wounded soldiers and that impact was spelled here in Gettysburg
for decades after the battle. It's interesting to see how parks and places get protected and preserved.
(10:28):
David and I traveled just down the road to Baltimore Pike near East Cemetery Hill to the
McKnight House, another Battlefield Trust preservation project. This one not as far along as
least headquarters. We're at the site of the McKnight House which was an original wartime structure
may look a little rough at the moment because we're working to stabilize it and restore it
(10:51):
so that again people can experience this part of the battlefield as it was during the time of the
battle. It's a lot of work, a lot of work. It's a lot of work but it also goes to show that a lot of times
what we see today is preserve land or parks it comes together as a patchwork, the proofs.
We like to say that we're constantly putting the puzzle pieces together. Over time again working
(11:15):
with localities with our donors putting together those different parts. It's a very long game
sometimes it takes landowners years to get to the point where they're willing to sell their
property for preservation but hopefully then we can put together the puzzle and have a wonderful
picture. How many projects are there like this here at Gettysburg National Military Park or in
(11:38):
the area? Currently right now in Gettysburg all across the battlefield we're working through a
multi-year, multi-million dollar phased project to restore key parts of the battlefield. These are
very very large projects but the impact they will have in terms of restoring the landscape to the
(12:01):
way it looked during the time of the battle that's part of our mission that's what we're here to do.
The Magnaite House's location is significant. Tens of thousands of union troops marched past the
property on July 1st and 2nd, fighting broke out here on the evening of July 2nd. Records also
showed union soldiers temporarily buried here on and around the property before the soldiers
(12:26):
national cemetery was established. That's where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November
1863. At the time both lots were zoned for mixed use development and the night house had no preservation
protections. David why is it important for people to visit battlefields? Well we truly believe that
(12:49):
battlefields are the places where our country was created and defined and if you want to know
about America and how we became the country that you are well you need to go to those places where
those great events happen that define this country and there's no better place to go than a preserved
(13:13):
and interpreted battlefield to act as an outdoor classroom to teach you so much more than you ever
could have learned about that time in our history and you get it in a way that's much more memorable
and evocative than you will ever get in any history textbook. If you want to learn about your
country's history hopefully come away being a better citizen a battlefield is a great place to do.
(13:40):
It truly is outside of a textbook classroom or old photograph you can walk in the steps of general
B soldiers and the everyday people and pets like Mary Thompson and Austin who were so much a part of
American history and our greater story. You can learn more about Gettysburg National Military Park
(14:03):
and the latest episode of Travels with Darley communities that shaped America on PBS and streaming
and coming to YouTube and of course by visiting yourself if you do keep in mind that sometimes these
parks and areas have hidden gems like general lease headquarters and you can also explore these
(14:23):
the American Battlefield Trust has information on these sites and visiting as well as other
locations that need their story kept alive. I'm Darley Newman and I appreciate you taking another
journey with me along with unsung heroes of the past and present. Thanks for listening.
Check back in this podcast to hear about other places you might want to explore and look for
(14:48):
upcoming episodes of the Travels with Darley podcast and TV series and if you haven't please
subscribe. You can also check out new episodes of my PBS series out now and coming out next year
we'll be debuting our hundredth episode season of our TV series. We're out filming now.
You can look for us on the road on social media and check out my new book it's called Revolutionary
(15:14):
Road Trip and it takes you to lesser known locations to reveal stories of the American Revolution.
These are sites that you can visit and please pre-order it. It helps to get me into local bookstores
across the nation. It's on Amazon and we're everywhere by books. As always thanks for traveling.
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