On Wednesday afternoon, November 18, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln passed through Hanover by train on his way to Gettysburg. At 5 P.M., his train came down the main line, then moved onto a siding leading to the Hanover Branch Railroad station, known as the depot, which had been built in 1852 and later demolished in 1915. After the train stopped there, Lincoln emerged from the coach car doorway and told the people gathered that he trusted the citizens of Hanover had remained loyal to the country and the Stars and Stripes when the enemy had been there, adding that if they were not all true patriots in support of the Union they should be. The locomotive then backed to the main line and carried him on to Gettysburg, where he delivered the Gettysburg Address the next day at the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery. According to local tradition, the Hanover Commons industrial yard, where the depot stood, manufactured the Hanover Branch Railroad coach car from which Lincoln spoke. A Hanover Spectator account of November 27, 1863, said he was greeted with cheers, joked that people had seen less than they expected to see, received bouquets from young ladies, and departed as a flag was planted behind the car, the whistle screamed, the brakes loosened, and the crowd cheered.