The early history of Gettysburg mimics that of many towns located along the East Coast of the United States. Early settlement by Europeans eventually displaced the indigenous Native American tribes of the area, and a town grew up at the crossroads of the travel routes of the day. But the Battle of Gettysburg altered Gettysburg’s projected fate as a typical small Pennsylvanian town, and that event, as well as the event’s historic preservation for future generations, continues to affect the very essence of the town right up to present day.