the housing and the water. Here is what the public data says about Gettysburg, PA.
The homes (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024)
Gettysburg has about 2,801 homes. Adams County has 43,672.
Median year built: 1942 in Gettysburg, 1980 in Adams County.
Built before 1940: 47.5% in Gettysburg, 17.5% county-wide.
Built before 1980: 87.2% in Gettysburg, 49.5% county-wide.
Built 2000 or later: 5.3% in Gettysburg, 22.3% county-wide.
Single-family detached: 45.6% in Gettysburg, 74.7% county-wide.
Attached (rowhome, twin, townhouse): 16.7% in Gettysburg, 9.3% county-wide.
Owner-occupied: 46.7% in Gettysburg, 78.9% county-wide.
Why that matters for mold
Houses that old usually sit on fieldstone or rubble foundations with no vapor barrier, and many have plaster over lath. Moisture comes through the stone slowly and spreads behind finished walls before anyone sees it, which is why mold in older Adams County homes is often bigger than it looks. Shared walls in attached homes can let a moisture problem in one unit reach the next. Because only about 46.7% of homes here are owner-occupied, a lot of residents rent, and Pennsylvania tenants have specific options when a landlord will not deal with mold.
Flood insurance claims (FEMA, National Flood Insurance Program, OpenFEMA)
ZIP 17325, which covers Gettysburg: 82 claims since 1978, totaling $2,637,323 paid. The biggest years were 1996 (28 claims) and 2011 (25 claims).
Adams County: 399 claims, with 2011 and 1996 the biggest years.
The biggest single year was 1996, when the January 1996 snowmelt flood drove 28 claims in these ZIP codes. Homes that took water in those events and were dried with fans alone are the ones that most often turn up with hidden mold years later. Only insured properties appear in the data.
What to do after water gets in
Mold can start growing on wet building materials within 24 to 48 hours, so drying inside that window is what matters. Photograph everything before you move it, stop the water at the source, and call your insurance carrier the same day. NFIP policies cover mold that results directly from a covered flood, but not mold the homeowner could have prevented after the water receded.
Published by Mold Remediation in Gettysburg, 20 Expedition Trail, Gettysburg, PA 17325, (717) 420-1964, https://moldremediationingettysburg.comGettysburg Housing and Flood Data: Why Older Homes Get Mold