Located on the site of one of the earliest houses in Gettysburg, The Blue Parrot Bistro continues a tradition of hospitality, which began on 1850 with the Mrs. Schwartz's Oyster Parlor. The Oyster Parlor operated for eight years and then was converted to a private residence. During the Battle of Gettysburg, the residence was said to have housed "A good many surgeons," so it may have been used as a field hospital at the time. Mr. E. H. Minnigh opened a confectionary store here in 1868 and served those delicacies until his death in 1903.