The David Wills House was built in 1816 - nearly 50 years before the Battle of Gettysburg. David Wills purchased it in 1859 to use as his law office and family home. The three-story structure is approximately 2,938 square feet per floor, with a full attic and a partial basement. The house is nationally significant for its role in the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, its association with prominent Gettysburg citizen David Wills and as the site where President Abraham Lincoln finished his speech and spent the night before delivering the immortal Gettysburg Address. The Gettysburg Foundation works in partnership with the National Park Service to operate the David Wills House.

After David Wills’ death in 1894, the house was remodeled by subsequent owners for various commercial uses including a drug store, music store and an antiques market. Efforts to establish a museum in the Wills House began as early as 1916, but it was in 1945 that local businessmen opened a full-time attraction on the second floor called “The Lincoln Room Museum.” It continued to operate under various owners until 2004.

In the late 1990s, the National Park Service identified the David Wills House as a significant resource that should be added to the boundary of Gettysburg National Military Park. The park acquired the property from the borough of Gettysburg in 2004.

On February 12, 2009, Gettysburg celebrated the grand opening of the David Wills House as a commemorative event for President Lincoln’s 200th birthday.