The National Park Service is restoring the Klingel House to its 1863 appearance. At the time of the Battle of Gettysburg, this house was a log structure. Small sections of the current siding have been removed to expose the logs. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
The National Park Service is in the process of restoring the Klingel House on the Emmitsburg Road to its 1863 appearance. That means instead of having a board and batten siding, the original log walls will be exposed. The Klingel House was built by Ludwig Essick (1786-1863) in 1812. In 1862 Ludwig Essick sold the farm to David Klingel.
The Klingel House was known as the Essick House from 1812-1862. Ludwig Essick (1786-1863) cleared the land and built a barn, a well house, a carriage house, and a building to house his pigs. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
The 1860 census shows that Ludwig Essick (1786-1863) was “white,” a Day Laborer, born in Pennsylvania circa 1785, and that he lived in the same dwelling and was part of the same family with Catharine (Troxell) Essick (1790-1871), born in Pennsylvania. His real estate had a value of $1000 and his personal estate had a value of $400. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
The Klingel House is located east of the Emmitsburg Road. Ludwig Essick sold the farm to David Klingel in 1862. During the second and third days of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate soldiers attacked across the farm moving left to right, or west to east. There was a garden and an apple orchard on this (south) side of the house. This view was taken facing north at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
On July 2, 1863, some Union soldiers took shelter in the house as they defended themselves here. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
The Union soldiers taking shelter in the log structure knocked the chinking from between some of the logs. This allowed their weapons to stick through the walls and they discharged them while still being sheltered. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
The National Park Service is in the process of exposing the logs, such as on the southwest corner of the house. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
The Park Service has laid the board and batten siding which formerly covered the logs on the ground south of the house. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
We’ll show this other strip that has been exposed near the center of the structure. The cabin was used to house prisoners and to tend to the wounded. Some soldiers were buried in the garden on this south side of the house. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
Here’s the center section. It appears the cabin ended here. This view was taken facing north at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
A closer view of the logs at this center section of the structure. This was probably the rear of the original log cabin. This view was taken facing north at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
Eventually, David Klingel filed a claim with the government for all the damage
and losses he incurred as a result of the battle-everything from losses of hay, corn, oats and crops, to fences and orchards destroyed, food stores taken, bedding and linens, pots and pans and clothing carried off-including a silk shawl, seven dresses, and one black cloth cape. The Alexander Spangler Barn is in the background. This view was taken facing west at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
See the following related post:
Did the National Park Service Cut Down a Witness Tree? on October 19, 2008.
