
Abraham (Catherine) Trostle Farm House - U.S. Civil War - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 48.100 W 077° 14.530
18S E 308047 N 4408149
According to the NRHP and NPS, the farmhouse was used as a field hospital on July 2 after the Confederates attacked here and Bigelow's Battery suffered heavy casualties.
Waymark Code: WMH8WY
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 06/08/2013
Views: 3
This farm is located just in the rear of the Third Corps salient position at the "Peach Orchard" and Emmitsburg Road. It has been listed as a Fifth Corps hospital in use on July 2nd and 3rd, rather than in use by the Third Corps. Some Confederate wounded also ended up here. The owner, Abraham Trostle was incarcerated in a "lunatic asylum" at the time of the battle, due to his tendency to enjoy periodic fist fights. SOURCE
This beautiful farmhouse occupies the center of the property & is the focal point of the farm. A picture depicting the aftermath of the war shows a slew of dead horse's from Bigelow's Battery highlighting the carnage and the obvious necessity of a field hospital. Besides the farmhouse serving as a hospital it is likely that the barn served temporarily for hospital purposes after close of the fighting on July 5. SOURCE
The Trostle Farm is south of Gettysburg on what is now United States Avenue. The farm and barn are on the left or northeast side of the road if traveling southwest along the Avenue. Owned by Peter Trostle, it was occupied at the time of the battle by his son Abraham, Abraham's wife Catherine, and their nine children. The 134 acre farm included a new frame house, brick barn, corn crib, wagon shed, springhouse, and a brick smokehouse. Parking is available in front of the barn and in front of the farm house. I visited the pump on Thursday, July 5, 2012 @ 5:01 PM, EDT & @ an altitude of 542 feet, ASL. I used a Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.