Lincoln Cemetery
Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Established in 1867 by the Sons of Good Will for the proper burial of Gettysburg's African American citizens and Civil War veterans. Some thirty Civil War veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops are buried here, having been denied burial in the National Cemetery because of segregation policies. Also buried here are veterans of the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and the Korean conflict. First known as Good Will Cemetery, renamed in 1920.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Founded in 1867 by the Sons of Good Will, Lincoln Cemetery gave Gettysburg's African American citizens and soldiers a dignified resting place they were otherwise denied. Roughly thirty veterans of the United States Colored Troops lie here — men who fought for the Union but were barred by segregation from burial in the town's famous National Cemetery. Later generations of Black veterans from the Spanish-American War through Korea joined them in ground first known as Good Will Cemetery and renamed for Lincoln in 1920.
Why it matters
In the shadow of the war's most hallowed battlefield, this cemetery lays bare the bitter irony that men who died for the Union were segregated even in death, making it a powerful marker of African American service and the long road toward equality.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Gettysburg is a name that carries the weight of the entire Civil War. But the town did not vanish when the armies left; it went on living, and among its residents were African American families whose story reached far beyond the famous three days of battle. This cemetery belongs to that ongoing life.
It was established in 1867, in the raw early years after the war, a time when the nation was struggling to define what freedom and equality would actually mean. For Black Americans, especially those who had served in uniform, that struggle was intensely personal — and it did not end at the grave.
Segregation in this era shaped even the ground people were buried in. In a town defined by a battle over the Union's future, Black citizens and Black veterans found that the dignity of a proper resting place was something they would have to secure for themselves.
People & events
In 1867 an organization called the Sons of Good Will established this burial ground so that Gettysburg's African American citizens and Civil War veterans could be laid to rest with the dignity they were otherwise denied. It was first known as Good Will Cemetery, and in 1920 it was renamed Lincoln Cemetery.
Among those buried here are some thirty Civil War veterans of the United States Colored Troops — Black men who took up arms for the Union. They had fought for the nation, yet segregation policies barred them from burial in Gettysburg's renowned National Cemetery. So their community made a place for them here.
The cemetery did not close its story with the Civil War generation. In the ground beside those veterans lie men who served in later conflicts as well — the Spanish-American War, both World Wars, and the Korean conflict. Generation after generation of Black servicemen came to rest here, each addition extending the same act of honor the Sons of Good Will began.
Its place in the American story
Few places lay bare the contradictions of American history as sharply as this one. Just a short distance from the battlefield where the Union's survival was decided, and from the National Cemetery made forever famous by Lincoln's words there, stands a separate burial ground made necessary by segregation.
The irony is stark and unforgettable: men who served the Union, some of whom fought in its uniform, were kept apart even in death because of the color of their skin. That single fact says as much about the long road ahead after the war as any monument to the battle itself.
Yet the cemetery is not only a record of injustice. It is a monument to service and to community self-determination — proof that when the nation withheld dignity, Black Americans claimed it themselves, and kept claiming it across a century of wars. It stands for African American sacrifice and for the long, unfinished journey toward equality.
If you visit
Most visitors to Gettysburg go straight to the battlefield and the National Cemetery, and they should. But if you want the fuller, harder truth of this place, come here too. It is a quieter ground, and its quiet is part of what it has to say.
Walk among the markers and look for the graves of the veterans — the men of the United States Colored Troops who fought for the Union and were denied a place in the famous cemetery nearby. Then notice how the service does not stop with them, how later generations of Black servicemen lie alongside, war after war.
Hold the geography in your mind as you stand here: the celebrated National Cemetery so close, and this separate ground made necessary by segregation. That contrast is the lesson. A visit here reframes everything the battlefield teaches, and it deserves a place on any thoughtful Gettysburg itinerary — a reminder that the story of freedom was still being written long after the guns fell silent.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Shriver House Museum0.2 mi away · 309 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Gettysburg Museum of History0.3 mi away · 219 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Jennie Wade House Gifts0.3 mi away · 548 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Gettysburg Diorama & History Center0.4 mi away · 241 Steinwehr Avenue, Gettysburg, PA
- Casteel Sculptures0.4 mi away · 789 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
- The David Wills House Museum0.4 mi away · 8 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, PA
Attractions
- John Eisenhower Bridge2.6 mi away · Waterworks Road
- Sachs Covered Bridge2.9 mi away
- Sachs Covered Bridge2.9 mi away · Waterworks Road, Gettysburg, PA
Food & drink
- Reid's Winery Cider House0.3 mi away · 400 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Hong Kong0.3 mi away
- Tania's Mexican Restaurant0.3 mi away
- Garryowen Irish Pub0.3 mi away · 126 Chambersburg Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Ragged Edge Coffee House0.3 mi away · 110 Chambersburg Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Jasper's Juice Works0.3 mi away · 110 Chambersburg Street, Gettysburg, PA
Places to stay
- Farnsworth House Inn0.2 mi away · 401 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
- The Garlach House 3190.2 mi away · 319 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Tillie Pierce House Inn0.2 mi away · 301 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
- A Sentimental Journey Bed & Breakfast0.2 mi away · 433 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Brickhouse Inn Bed and Breakfast0.3 mi away · 452 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
- 1863 Inn of Gettysburg0.3 mi away · 516 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Related events
- · Burial of U.S. Colored Troops veterans
Themes & tags
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