Battle of Gettysburg hits home in new $103M museum
GETTYSBURG, Pa. -- At the site of the deadliest battle on American soil, the electric map is history.
As former visitors to Gettysburg National Military Park may recall, the electric map, which used light bulbs to pinpoint troop movements, was the centerpiece of the old visitor center. But what was cutting-edge in 1963, when the map was installed, has long become hopelessly passé.
Now, the map and the 1921 building that housed it are being replaced by a $103 million museum and visitor center. They open Monday.
The new facilities feature 12 interactive galleries; two 187-seat, three-screen theaters; and an elevated gallery to accommodate the historic 377-foot wrap-around "cyclorama" painting theBattle of Gettysburg. The handsome gray granite and metal complex is meant to bring context to the events that occurred here during three bloody days in July 1863 — even for visitors who wouldn't know Pickett's Charge from a picket fence.
As the most important of all Civil War battles, the enormity of Gettysburg can be intimidating to the casual visitor. The park covers 6,000 acres and hosts 1,300 monuments. There were more than 51,000 casualties, including 7,000 deaths. More than 1 million historical artifacts remain. And almost 2 million visitors arrive annually.
"It's beautiful, and you want to find out what happened in these green fields, but it's overwhelming and it's hard to find out," says park superintendent John Latschar.
The center aims to remedy that with interactive galleries that are themed to phrases from the Gettysburg Address. Visitors can pack their own kit bag, learn to read signal flags and hear soldiers' stories. Exhibits blend dioramas, such as Gen. Robert E. Lee's field camp, with video presentations in five film galleries, along with written material that illuminates the mind-set of the era.
(For instance, newspaper reviews of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered four months after the battle at the dedication of the national cemetery here, ranged from "a perfect gem" to "silly, flat and dishwatery.")
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