Founded in 1832 as Pennsylvania College, Gettysburg College took shape amid intense national conflict over slavery, with its location near the Mason-Dixon line placing it at the center of tensions as escaped slaves passed through the region. Founder Samuel Simon Schmucker supported gradual, legal emancipation, while Thaddeus Stevens—an outspoken abolitionist, early trustee, and donor of the College’s original six acres—left a lasting legacy commemorated by Stevens Hall, completed in 1868 and named in his honor as a tribute to his role in the College’s founding and anti-slavery efforts.