John Rupp’s House

John and Caroline Rupp and their six children lived on Baltimore Street, not far from the base of Cemetery Hill. John operated a tannery nearby, and all his property lay between the contending armies. On July 1, 1863, the Rupps fled across the street to their neighbors' cellar. The next night, John sent Caroline and the children to his father's home on the corner of York and Stratton Streets. John hid in his own cellar for the rest of the battle.

In a letter to his sister-in-law, John described Union soldiers on his front porch and Confederate soldiers on his rear porch firing at each other through the house. He learned of one Federal killed on his property and Rebels shot in the nearby McCreary and Shriver homes. His tannery suffered some damage in the battle but continued to operate. The house also suffered damage. Following the war, the Rupps chose to replace it with a larger dwelling that stands at 451 Baltimore Street. Just up the street from the Rupps, Jennie Wade was baking bread for soldiers in her sister's kitchen when a stray bullet mortally wounded her. She was the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg.