Berdan Avenue - Gettysburg National Military Park Historic District - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 48.431 W 077° 15.387
18S E 306840 N 4408792
Berdan Avenue is one of the smallest roads at the military Park. There are two sharpshooter monuments at the end of the road before it loops around and comes back out again to the main avenue.
Waymark Code: WMEE59
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 05/14/2012
Views: 3
This road is just off of Southwest Confederate Avenue, on the right or west side if traveling in a southernly direction, at the entrance to Berdan Avenue. The road is rather small, leading into Pitzer woods where it makes a loop and come right back out to the main avenue. I found the 1st Regiment United States Sharpshooters, Company F monument and the Companies A, B, D, & H, US (NY) Sharpshooters Monument at the back of the road.
Berdan Avenue (Sharpshooters Avenue) was named for Colonel Hiram Berdan, commander of the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters at Gettysburg. The road is located at Seminary Ridge. and was built in 1887 and altered in 1900. The road was designer: E.B. Cope. The NPS describes the road as a carriage turn-around that measures 0.114 miles long and is 15' wide and composed of bituminous treated macadam with telford base. The road was constructed to demarcate the position of Berdan Sharpshooters sent forward to protect the advance of Sickles 3rd Union Corps toward Emmitsburg Road. Avenue and is located in Pitzer Woods and extends to West Confederate Avenue.
Berdan Avenue is a contributing feature to the Gettysburg National Military Park Historic District which is nationally significant under NR Criteria A, B, C & D. Areas of Significance: Military, Politics/Government, Landscape Architecture, Conservation, Archeology-Historic. Period of Significance: 1863-1938. The original National Register Nomination was approved by the Keeper March 19, 1975. An update to this nomination was approved by the Keeper on January 23, 2004. The monument is identified as structure number RD320.
From the Nomination Form:
Constructed to demarcate the position of Berdan Sharpshooters sent forward to protect the advance of Sickles 3rd Union Corps toward Emmitsburg Road. Avenue is located in Pitzer Woods and extends to West Confederate Avenue.
Short Physical Description:
Carriage turn-around that measures 0.114 miles long and is 15' wide. Bituminous treated macadam with telford base. Located west of West Confederate Avenue.
Long Physical Description:
Designed by E.B. Cope, this circulation feature was one several circulation structures that were developed between 1882 and 1920 along the battle lines of the Union and Confederate armies or to connect those battle lines. They were principally laid out as 60-foot wide corridors that included the roadway itself, the monumentation, formal park grounds, and enclosure fencing.\
My Sources
1.
NRHP Nomination Form
2.
Draw the Sword