About Us
Welcome
Welcome to the Sign of the Buck, where American history meets New American culinary artistry. Nestled on the first floor of the iconic Union Hotel, our 100-seat restaurant and bar carries forward the legacy of this storied building, first established as a tavern and boarding house in 1804.
Good Hands
Under the direction of celebrated local chef Josh Fidler, and drawing upon the creative talents of David Bortner, our culinary team brings passion and craftsmanship to every dish we serve.
Our STory
In 1787, an early European settler named John Troxell bought the plot of land this building sits upon from Gettysburg founder James Gettys. In 1804, a local entrepreneur named George Welsh opened the Sign of the Buck tavern to accommodate those traveling to the western frontier of Pennsylvania and the wilds beyond. A reproduction of the original ad announcing the opening of the Sign of the Buck, which appeared in the local newspaper The Sprig of Liberty in the spring of 1804, hangs in the archway near the entrance to the tavern.
By 1863, Gettysburg was a bustling town of 2,400 that few could have predicted would become a household name. The hotel was known as the Union Hotel around the time that war came to Gettysburg’s door and, like virtually every public building in the borough, it served as a hospital for wounded soldiers as the smoke cleared. Though it wasn’t called the Union Hotel for long back then, the current owner, Leslie Magraw, thought that among the many names the hotel has had over its 220-plus-year history (at least nine), this one fit her vision best. After a full renovation of the hotel was completed in 2021, work began to develop its first floor into a restaurant and tavern. The Sign of the Buck–Gettysburg’s premier farm-to-table restaurant–debuted in the summer of 2023, bringing the property full circle to its 1804 roots.
