Today is a day of thanks and Mike and I are thankful for all our supporters and guests over the last 17 months (or so). If you have not met us yet, we moved from upstate NY in May of 2018 to purchase and operate The Gaslight Inn. It’s been exhilarating and scary all at the same time, but we’ve met wonderful people in the time we’ve been here which makes it all more exhilarating. We’re also thankful for the staff we consider family. Without these amazing people we just wouldn’t be able to do it ourselves. So for today we enjoyed a morning serving breakfast to the guests that are visiting and taking time to enjoy Gettysburg and our Inn for their holiday. Later today Mike and l will have our meal and take a moment to reflect; likely ending with some pie :) Tomorrow we’ll be back at it getting ready for the holiday season that is kicking off here in Gettysburg tomorrow with the tree lighting ceremony. Visit and like our Facebook or Instagram page to see pictures and posts of what we’re up to. And if you’re in the area please consider staying with us (again for some of you). Having this Bed and Breakfast is really our dream and we’re lucky enough to be able to pursue it. Give thanks today and everyday.
The below information was obtained courtesy of https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thanksgiving-Day
Plymouth’s Thanksgiving began with a few colonists going out “fowling,” possibly for turkeys but more probably for the easier prey of geese and ducks, since they “in one day killed as much as…served the company almost a week.” Next, 90 or so Wampanoag made a surprise appearance at the settlement’s gate, doubtlessly unnerving the 50 or so colonists. Nevertheless, over the next few days the two groups socialized without incident. The Wampanoag contributed venison to the feast, which included the fowl and probably fish, eels, shellfish, stews, vegetables, and beer. Since Plymouth had few buildings and manufactured goods, most people ate outside while sitting on the ground or on barrels with plates on their laps. The men fired guns, ran races, and drank liquor, struggling to speak in broken English and Wampanoag. This was a rather disorderly affair, but it sealed a treaty between the two groups that lasted until King Philip’s War (1675–76), in which hundreds of colonists and thousands of Native Americans lost their lives.
On October 3, 1863, during the Civil War, Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.
The holiday was annually proclaimed by every president thereafter, and the date chosen, with few exceptions, was the last Thursday in November. F.D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation in 1942 designating the fourth Thursday in November (which is not always the last Thursday) as Thanksgiving Day.