Quilts of Valor® Foundation Event
The Muncy Historical Society will host Pat Jordan and Bob Gleason in their 2-person performance, “The Road to Gettysburg,” on Sunday, March 22, 2026, at 2 P.M. The location is St. Andrew Evangelical Church, corner of S. Main and E. Penn Streets, in Muncy.
On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered his profoundly affecting Gettysburg Address, one of the most historically significant documents in our history. That day, just ten feet away, sat Anna Morris Holstein, the matron of Gettysburg’s Letterman hospital and nurse who served over three years in the bloody battlefield hospitals of the Army of the Potomac in the Civil War. Different roads—but both lead to Gettysburg. These are their stories.
Both were part of an armed conflict fought to assure the continuation of our country’s union, and which would see the end of slavery in America. Both saw the terrible death and destruction that this war visited upon our nation. Both did all they could to help bring about an end to a violent altercation that tore our nation apart for four disastrous years. Both attended the unforgettable commemoration at Gettysburg National Cemetery, on the site of a battle that arguably marked the pivotal turning point of the Civil War.
Many roads led to Gettysburg, where thousands gave their lives that July, and now, four months later, 15,000 people assembled to honor those who fought the battle there. That day, hope was in the minds and hearts of everyone, two of whom included the 16th President of the United States and the other a woman determined to serve her country so long as she was needed and whose experiences ultimately would remain “graven in her memory as with a steel pen.”
Immediately following the one-hour performance, members of the Vintage Gatherers Quilters, a group operating under the auspices of the Quilts of Valor® Foundation, will present quilts to honor and gift to several well-deserving veterans whose service has been registered with the Foundation.
Taking Community Service to a Whole Different Level
Anna Morris (Ellis) Holstein
(April 1824/25 – December 1900)
Anna Morris Ellis was the daughter of William Cox and Rachel (Morris) Ellis, and she was born in the family home known locally as “Wolf Run” in Pennsdale. Like many young girls from Pennsdale of Quaker heritage, she received her education at the Westtown School in West Chester, PA.
Anna was a civilian nurse during the Civil War. She ministered to the wounded soldiers after the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg—often tending to as many as 3,000 wounded soldiers, both Union and Confederate.
With support from the Ladies of Montgomery County, PA, Anna purchased a 25-foot, 35-star flag that was flown at Gettysburg when President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. She also provided aid for the freed Andersonville prisoners who had been moved to Annapolis for medical treatment.
After the war, the preservation of Washington’s home at Mount Vernon was accomplished largely through Anna’s efforts as a primary promoter of this historically significant project.The Valley Forge Centennial and Memorial Association was largely formed by the efforts of Anna Holstein. Anna led the mission to save, acquire, restore, and preserve General Washington’s Valley Forge Headquarters and surrounding acreage as parcels became available – today, Valley Forge National Park.
