The Gettysburg Post Office was established on July 1, 1795. At the time of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Post Office was located at 112 Baltimore Street, the home of Postmaster David A. Buehler. When Confederate troops entered the town on June 26, 1863, Buehler, on hearing that Confederates were capturing and imprisoning postmasters, gathered mail and other important papers and made a harrowing escape to Hanover, 16 miles to the east. From Hanover, he made his way to Philadelphia by train, witnessing the burning of the Columbia Covered Bridge over the Susquehanna River to stop the Confederate advance. After depositing the mail and official papers and hearing about the fierce battle in Gettysburg on July 1st, Buehler began the difficult journey home arriving on July 7th to a town changed forever. Buehler died in 1887 and is buried in Gettysburg's Evergreen Cemetery.
From the eyewitness account of Fannie J. Buehler, "Recollections of the Rebel Invasion and One Woman's Experience during the Battle of Gettysburg".
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Did You Know
On May 7, 1833, a 24-year-old Abraham Lincoln was appointed Postmaster of New Salem, Illinois, serving until May 30, 1836.
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