July 1, 2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Gettysburg. Many soldiers from the Preston area participated in the battle, including a number associated with Bethesda. Probably the most notable was James M. McCarter (pictured left), a Methodist minister who strongly opposed slavery – a stance that resulted in ostracism by the church. From 1861 to 1863, McCarter commanded the 93rd Pennsylvania Volunteers. McCarter had been a minister in the Preston area before the war, and his wife, Elizabeth Kelley, was from Tanyard. After the war he settled in Preston, and, with a few brief forays elsewhere, lived there until he died in 1900. He is buried in Bethesda cemetery, and his house still stands on Backlanding Road.