How long is the performance?

The presentation runs approximately one hour; organizers ask that you arrive at least 15 minutes early to check in.

Is the venue wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The Keeping Room Theater is wheelchair accessible; notify staff at check-in if you need specific seating.

Are tickets refundable?

All sales are final; there are no refunds, returns, or exchanges, so confirm plans before purchasing.

Is photography allowed during the show?

No. Recording and photography are prohibited during the performance to preserve the live theatrical experience.

What is the recommended age for attendees?

No minimum age is listed, but the show deals with intense grief and wartime loss and is best for emotionally mature audiences and teens.

Check-in takes place at the gift shop counter at the venue; arrive at least 15 minutes before the listed start time.

Blood on the Bread Board: A Mother's Sorrow Live at the Keeping Room Theater, Gettysburg

Blood on the Bread Board, A Mother's Sorrow: Mary Ann Filby Wade LIVE is a one-hour historical theater presentation staged in the Keeping Room Theater at 401 Baltimore St in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. From the dim-lit kitchen to the garden where grief becomes a geography, the show recreates July 1863 with a focus on Mary Anne Filby Wade, mother of Mary Virginia “Jennie” Wade—the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. On stage a single voice becomes the battlefield: a mother who kneads bread, cradles a newborn grandson, and keeps watch as musket fire draws closer. The production compresses the chaos of combat into domestic detail—the bread board, a laboring daughter, the cry of an infant—so history lands in the palms of the present. That focus on the everyday object as witness gives the performance its power; viewers experience war not as map or strategy but as torn fabric, overturned bowls, and an urgent attempt to shield family while the town seizes with artillery and smoke. The theater itself is intimate: seating is indoor and wheelchair accessible, and the cast size and staging are calibrated for close listening. The show runs roughly one hour; arrive fifteen minutes early to check in at the gift shop counter and find your seat. Sold at $20 plus tax, the presentation limits audiences to about 24, which preserves an up-close, almost confessional tone. This is not a museum tour or a lecture; it is a live, empathetic portrait that asks viewers to inhabit a single, impossible choice. For visitors to Gettysburg, the piece functions as a focused complement to battlefield walks and monument tours. It names the civilian cost of Civil War tactics and attaches human scale to dates and coordinates. The show's emphasis on domestic objects—the bread board, the kitchen hearth, the back garden burial—turns familiar battlefield narratives inside out, revealing how violence enters ordinary life. Practical notes: the theater is at 401 Baltimore St; the show is wheelchair accessible; all sales are final. Because the performance engages with grief and sudden loss, expect emotional intensity and a raw, unvarnished tone. For historians, families, and travelers who want to feel history rather than simply read it, this production offers a concentrated, memorable hour in Gettysburg’s ongoing story. After the performance, take time to walk the streetscape of downtown Gettysburg; the proximity of museums, markers, and preserved houses allows visitors to map scenes from the monologue onto real locations. If you plan a longer stay, pair the show with a guided battlefield tour to balance narrative and topography. Tickets are purchased on site; groups should reserve early because seating is small. Note that recording is prohibited during the performance to preserve the live experience.

About Historic Farnsworth House

Historic Farnsworth House offers guided tours, paranormal investigations, living-history shows, and specialty events in a preserved Civil War–era property. Located in Gettysburg, the Farnsworth House is listed as a National Historic Place and draws visitors interested in military history, Victorian domestic life, and paranormal investigation.

Visitors can choose from a variety of experiences that interpret the house’s Civil War significance and its later Victorian-era character. The Farnsworth House Tour highlights the attic used by a Civil War sharpshooter, a Victorian viewing parlor with an antique coffin, and exterior walls bearing more than one hundred bullet holes. Medical history programs such as the Blood, Guts and Glory Civil War Medical Presentation present authentic instruments and a lifelike operating-room demonstration to examine wartime medicine.

For guests seeking the supernatural, the property offers the Mini Paranormal Night, Haunted Cellar Tour, Tormented & Lost Souls Tour, and gallery readings by professional mediums during special events. Outdoor programming includes Campfire by the Creek Ghost Stories beside a flowing stream. The site also stages family-friendly entertainment like A Civil War Era Magic Show…. LIVE!, performed by a veteran magician with decades of experience.

Group sizes for investigative nights are limited to maintain an intimate experience; some tours specify a 15-person maximum. The Farnsworth House operates as a curated historic attraction and event venue, emphasizing factual interpretation, trained guides, and artifacts connected to the Civil War and Victorian periods. Visitors are encouraged to book specific experiences in advance to secure preferred dates and times. Tours run seasonally.