What is a Gettysburg Witness Tree?

A Gettysburg Witness Tree is a still-living tree that is old enough to have been alive at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg, and can be said to have "witnessed" the fighting that swirled around it during those hot summer days of July 1-3, 1863.

"Peter Lukacs has unearthed a ground-breaking way to experience Gettysburg − through the living trees that bore silent witness to this famous Civil War battle of 1863. With his field guides, you can step into history that has been hiding in plain site for over a century!"

Map of Gettysburg Witness Trees.   "Please note: I am updating all the maps, adding newly discovered witness trees, and uploading numerous new then-and-now comparisons, all to make this website as comprehensive as possible!"

Two Vintage Photos of West Confederate Avenue

"Here we feature two very special early 20th century photographs. Thanks to these two photographs, multiple witness trees have been identified, trees which otherwise would have no known extant evidence to prove their witness tree status."