Wisler Farm

This farm along the Chambersburg Pike was owned by Ephriam Wisler, a blacksmith. The house was a a two-story brick structure that was built in 1857. On the first day of the battle, Wisler stepped outside to see what was happening when a shell exploded nearby. Wisler was not hit by the shell, but he suffered from shock. He died of heart failure on August 11, 1863; he left behind a widow and two children. 

Wisler’s home was sold to James Mickler after the Civil War. In 2002, it was purchased by the National Park Service and has since been restored to it’s red brick 1863 appearance, with a safe parking space.

In the front yard of the Wisler House is a small monument placed in 1886 by Lieutenant Marcellus Jones of the 8th Illinois Cavalry to mark the relative location of the first shot of battle at 7:30 AM July 1st.