Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center
Encyclopedia
The Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center is the Gettysburg National Military Park
facility which displays the 1884 Gettysburg Cyclorama
and provides the tour center for Licensed Battlefield Guides and buses to the Gettysburg Battlefield
and Eisenhower National Historic Site
. The museum displays artifacts including cannon, firearms, uniforms, etc. and includes an exhibit gallery and theater (22-minute A New Birth of Freedom about the American Civil War
). Additional facilities are a "computer resource room", a bookstore with gifts, and a restaurant.
, and throughout the following months, family members arrived looking for their casualties (e.g., during October-March battlefield exhumations for the Gettysburg National Cemetery
). The Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association
erected numerous monuments by the end of the 19th century when a hackmen's industry had developed to provide horse-drawn jitneys (group taxis) from the 2 train station
s. Private coaches could also be rented, and across the battlefield were an 1884 steamtrain railroad
and an 1894 electric trolley
. In the early 20th century, Gettysburg permits were required for automobile taxis, thousands of automobiles visited on one day during the 1913 Gettysburg reunion, and small stations were established for tour guides--e.g., on the Harrisburg Road (the trolley and railway were removed in 1917 and ). Tests and licenses for battlefield guides were mandated in 1915, and the park's first reception building was the Gettysburg Parkitecture guide station on the Emmitsburg Road. Similar tourist services on the battlefield included parkitecture comfort stations with restrooms and water fountains, e.g., at Devil's Den
and The Pennsylvania State Memorial
. During the 1938 Gettysburg reunion
, hundreds of thousands of visitors arrived for the dedication of the Eternal Light Peace Memorial
.
One of the first Gettysburg museums displayed the J Albertus Danner collection of artifacts in 1881, and in 1894 the Gettysburg Cyclorama
was displayed in a tent at The Angle
http://books.google.com/books?id=pb0GPAAACAAJ (groundbreaking for a building on Cemetery Hill
was in 1912.) The 1888-1964 Round Top Museum and 1921-2008 Gettysburg National Museum were both acquired by the National Park Service
after the 1963 battle anniversary. During the post-WWII
increase of tourism, Mission 66
improvements for the NPS 50th anniversary included the construction of the Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg as the first NPS visitor center for the battlefield. Plans in 1973 for a projected tourist increase included an Oak Ridge
visitor center and an Eisenhower parkway on the west (neither was built, nor was an Appalachian Trail
spur to the battlefield considered in 1982.) The Gettysburg National Museum became the visitor center in 1974, and it was demolished in 2008 after the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center was completed to display the Gettysburg Cyclorama
.
Gettysburg National Military Park
The Gettysburg National Military Park is an administrative unit of the National Park Service's northeast region and a subunit of federal properties of Adams County, Pennsylvania, with the same name, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery...
facility which displays the 1884 Gettysburg Cyclorama
Gettysburg Cyclorama
The Battle of Gettysburg, also known as the Gettysburg Cyclorama, is a cyclorama painting by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting "Pickett's Charge", the climactic Confederate attack on the Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863...
and provides the tour center for Licensed Battlefield Guides and buses to the Gettysburg Battlefield
Gettysburg Battlefield
The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...
and Eisenhower National Historic Site
Eisenhower National Historic Site
Eisenhower National Historic Site was the home and farm of General and President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mamie Doud Eisenhower. Located adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the farm served as a weekend retreat for the President and a meeting...
. The museum displays artifacts including cannon, firearms, uniforms, etc. and includes an exhibit gallery and theater (22-minute A New Birth of Freedom about the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
). Additional facilities are a "computer resource room", a bookstore with gifts, and a restaurant.
Background
The first excursion train to the battlefield arrived 2 days after the Battle of GettysburgBattle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, and throughout the following months, family members arrived looking for their casualties (e.g., during October-March battlefield exhumations for the Gettysburg National Cemetery
Gettysburg National Cemetery
The Gettysburg National Cemetery is located on Cemetery Hill in the Gettysburg Battlefield near the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery to the south...
). The Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association
Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association
The Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association was an historic preservation membership organization and is the eponym for the battlefield's memorial association era...
erected numerous monuments by the end of the 19th century when a hackmen's industry had developed to provide horse-drawn jitneys (group taxis) from the 2 train station
Gettysburg Railroad Station
-American Civil War:Train service to the depot was stopped when Jubal Early's Confederates burned the Rock Creek trestle on June 27, 1863. The depot's telegrapher, a young daughter of "Mr...
s. Private coaches could also be rented, and across the battlefield were an 1884 steamtrain railroad
Round Top Branch
The Round Top Branch was an extension of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad from the Gettysburg borough across the Gettysburg Battlefield to Round Top, Pennsylvania...
and an 1894 electric trolley
Gettysburg Electric Railway
The Gettysburg Electric Railway was a borough trolley that provided summer access to Gettysburg Battlefield visitor attractions such as military engagement areas, monuments, postbellum camps, and recreation areas...
. In the early 20th century, Gettysburg permits were required for automobile taxis, thousands of automobiles visited on one day during the 1913 Gettysburg reunion, and small stations were established for tour guides--e.g., on the Harrisburg Road (the trolley and railway were removed in 1917 and ). Tests and licenses for battlefield guides were mandated in 1915, and the park's first reception building was the Gettysburg Parkitecture guide station on the Emmitsburg Road. Similar tourist services on the battlefield included parkitecture comfort stations with restrooms and water fountains, e.g., at Devil's Den
Devil's Den
Devils Den is a boulder-strewn Gettysburg Battlefield hill used by artillery and infantry during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day...
and The Pennsylvania State Memorial
The Pennsylvania State Memorial
The Pennsylvania State Memorial is an American Civil War monument on the Gettysburg Battlefield, that commemorates the 34,530 Pennsylvania soldiers who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg and are listed on the Bronze tablets on the monument's walls....
. During the 1938 Gettysburg reunion
1938 Gettysburg reunion
The 1938 Gettysburg reunion was a Gettysburg Battlefield encampment of American Civil War veterans for the Battle of Gettysburg's 75th anniversary. The gathering included approximately 25 Gettysburg battle veterans and had totals of 1,359 Federal and 486 Confederate attendees of the 8,000...
, hundreds of thousands of visitors arrived for the dedication of the Eternal Light Peace Memorial
Eternal Light Peace Memorial
The Eternal Light Peace Memorial is a 1938 Gettysburg Battlefield monument commemorating the 1913 "reconciliation of our people North and South after the lapse of only 50 years since they had fought" in the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg...
.
One of the first Gettysburg museums displayed the J Albertus Danner collection of artifacts in 1881, and in 1894 the Gettysburg Cyclorama
Gettysburg Cyclorama
The Battle of Gettysburg, also known as the Gettysburg Cyclorama, is a cyclorama painting by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting "Pickett's Charge", the climactic Confederate attack on the Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863...
was displayed in a tent at The Angle
The Angle
The Angle is a Gettysburg Battlefield area which includes the 1863 Copse of Trees used as the target landmark for Pickett's Charge, the 1892 monument that marks the high-water mark of the Confederacy, and several other Battle of Gettysburg monuments...
http://books.google.com/books?id=pb0GPAAACAAJ (groundbreaking for a building on Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform which had 1863 military engagements each day of the July 1–3 Battle of Gettysburg. The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive "fish-hook" line, the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery...
was in 1912.) The 1888-1964 Round Top Museum and 1921-2008 Gettysburg National Museum were both acquired by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
after the 1963 battle anniversary. During the post-WWII
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
increase of tourism, Mission 66
Mission 66
Mission 66 was a US National Park Service ten-year program that was intended to dramatically expand Park Service visitor services by 1966, in time for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Park Service....
improvements for the NPS 50th anniversary included the construction of the Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg as the first NPS visitor center for the battlefield. Plans in 1973 for a projected tourist increase included an Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge, Adams County, Pennsylvania
Oak Ridge is the landform of the Gettysburg Battlefield where the Eternal Light Peace Memorial was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1938 Gettysburg reunion. 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Whitworth rifled cannon fired from Oak Hill at Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. The ridge...
visitor center and an Eisenhower parkway on the west (neither was built, nor was an Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
spur to the battlefield considered in 1982.) The Gettysburg National Museum became the visitor center in 1974, and it was demolished in 2008 after the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center was completed to display the Gettysburg Cyclorama
Gettysburg Cyclorama
The Battle of Gettysburg, also known as the Gettysburg Cyclorama, is a cyclorama painting by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting "Pickett's Charge", the climactic Confederate attack on the Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863...
.