The farm of George and Dorothy Rose is south of Gettysburg on the eastern side of Emmitsburg Road. (39.79698° N, 77.249211° W; map)

George Rose was a butcher from Germantown, Pennsylvania, who had recently purchased the farm from Jacob Benner for over $8,000.

The farmhouse dates back to 1811 and was completed to its present form in 1824. The barn was built in 1812.

The Rose Farm was at the center of some of the fiercest fighting on the second day of the battle. Tthe farm included the Stony Hill, the Rose Woods, and a twenty acre field where over 20,000 men engaged in brutal and often hand-to-hand combat leaving over six thousand killed or wounded. Ever since it has been known simply as The Wheatfield.

The stone walls of the farmhouse and barn provided shelter to the Confederates of Semmes’ and Kershaw’s Brigades, and the farm buildings were used as a Confederate field hospital. It is estimated that between 500 and 1,000 Confederate soldiers were buried on the property. Some of the most famous photograps after the battle were taken here by Alexander Gardner.

The stone farmhouse is still standing, but the barn is in ruins after being struck by lightning and burning down in 1910. The farm was in private hands until the 1950s, when it was acquired by the National Park Service.

Rose farm photos thanks to Chet Trybus.