 This is the beginning of a very exciting venture. A venture that I hope will help renew Americans' appreciation for our common heritage, for the battle that took place here, and its impact on our nation." - Robert Wilburn, President of the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation |
Museum and Visitor Center Plan for Gettysburg
A cooperative agreement between the National Park Service and the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation will result in the construction of a new Museum and Visitor Center on the Baltimore Pike in Cumberland Township, Adams County. The new building will orient visitors to the park and Gettysburg, host exhibits on the Civil War from beginning to dramatic end, feature the massive museum collection of Civil War and Gettysburg artifacts, and house the fully restored Gettysburg Cyclorama. The building will also meet the need for a proper storage facility for the museum collection, park archives and library, offices, and have an expanded bookstore. This $95 million dollar project will not only provide visitors to Gettysburg with a fulfilling experience, but also provide a center from which park visitors can visit downtown Gettysburg and what it has to offer. Future plans will also provide a new amphitheater for evening programs and new youth campground.
Background on the Museum and Visitor Center Plans
The 1999 General Management Plan laid the foundation for a cooperative agreement between the National Park Service and the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation for the construction of a new Museum and Visitor Center. The requirement of a new building dates back any years when the growth of the museum collection, based on the famous George D. Rosensteel Collection, was beyond the scope of the current visitor's center. The need for an updated building to house the park's extensive archival and museum collections was not the only predicament. Outdated visitor facilities, exhibit space, old fire and security systems, and dispersed administrative offices added to the need for a new structure placed on land less sensitive to the battle action.
This need for a new facility was addressed in the General Management Plan for Gettysburg National Military Park (1999) which resulted in a unique proposal between the National Park Service and a commercial company to construct a new museum and visitor center. One of the first public-private agreements of this type to take place in the National Park Service, the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation has been established to raise funds for the construction of this multi-million dollar facility that will provide the public with a state of the art museum and visitor center, accommodate park offices, archives and library, student education classrooms, and the massive museum collections. The site for the new building was chosen for its location and minimal significance to the battle when compared with the current Visitor Center and adjacent Cyclorama Center, both located on the Union battle line on Cemetery Ridge.
Project Goals
The Museum Site Plan
The site for the proposed museum and visitor center was carefully considered. A panel of historians looked at the proposed site and determined it to be of negligible significance to the Battle of Gettysburg, when compared to the present location of the National Park Service Visitor Center on Taneytown Road and the adjacent Cyclorama Center. Road access, parking, and the building will be located away from Union artillery positions and natural resources that may be considered threatened.
The Museum Plan to Date
Check on these links for information on the agreement with the Museum Foundation, fund raising information, and other information relative to the progress of the Museum and Visitor Center.
Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation
National Park Service
Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325