Sacred Trust Talks & Book Signings

Barbara Franco will share her findings from a 10-year project to identify the surgeons who cared for the wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg. A database of more than 1,200 surgeons, both Union and Confederate, is the basis for her new book, Gettysburg Surgeons: Facing a Common Enemy in the Civil War’s Deadliest Battle. The study includes not only well-documented and prominent physicians who left written accounts, but also the lesser-known surgeons who were part of a complex system of doctors and caretakers both during and after the battle. Barbara Franco is Founding Executive Director Emerita of the Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center. As a public historian, curator and museum director she has written and consulted about museum practice and historical interpretation. Her broad interest in the social, cultural and intellectual history of the 19th century includes the decorative and fine arts, communal societies, fraternal organizations, the role of religion and the Civil War era. She served as executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. and Assistant Director for Museums at the Minnesota Historical Society. Book Signing | 6-6:45 p.m. and 8-8:30 p.m. Barbara Franco will sign her works before and after her talk presentation.