Remarks by Bob Wilburn, President of the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation
October 24, 2000
"THANK YOU, BOB (KINSLEY), FOR YOUR VERY GENEROUS INTRODUCTION AND FOR GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY. AND THANKS TO DR. JOHN LATSCHAR AND THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE FOR WELCOMING ME TO GETTYSBURG.
"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. AS YOU'VE HEARD, I SPENT MANY YEARS AT COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG.
"WILLIAMSBURG AND GETTYSBURG ARE, OF COURSE, TWO VERY DIFFERENT PLACES. ONE IS NORTH AND ONE IS SOUTH. WILLIAMSBURG PRESENTS OUR 18TH CENTURY COLONIAL HERITAGE AND THE BIRTH OF OUR DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT. GETTYSBURG SYMBOLIZES A GREAT FRATERNAL STRUGGLE AND THE NATION'S REBIRTH A CENTURY LATER. BOTH WILLIAMSBURG AND GETTYSBURG ARE SMALL TOWNS THAT SERVE AS AN IMPORTANT TOURIST DESTINATION IN THEIR STATE. BOTH CITIES HAVE HAD TO BALANCE LOCAL PRIORITIES WITH THE EXPECTATIONS OF VISITORS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, VISITORS WHO HOPE TO SEE AND DO EXCITING AND INTERESTING THINGS.
"ULTIMATELY, THE CHALLENGES THE TWO TOWNS FACE ARE VERY SIMILAR. BOTH WILLIAMSBURG AND GETTYSBURG HONOR OUR PAST. BOTH ARE PLACES THAT HONOR OUR HERITAGE AND DRAW LESSONS FOR OUR FUTURE. IN WILLIAMSBURG, I WORKED HARD TO BALANCE THOSE PRIORITIES. AND, I AM CONFIDENT THAT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND THE PEOPLE OF THE GETTYSBURG AREA, WE WILL MAINTAIN A PROPER BALANCE HERE IN GETTYSBURG.
"UNLIKE BOB, I DON'T REMEMBER MY FIRST VISIT TO GETTYSBURG. MY WIFE PAT COUNTS MORE THAN 40 TIMES THAT WE'VE VISITED WITH OUR CHILDREN. FOR US, THIS HAS BEEN A PLACE TO EXPLORE IMPORTANT NATIONAL ISSUES; ISSUES OF LIFE AND DEATH.
"TODAY, I AM HERE IN A NEW AND DIFFERENT ROLE, BUT ONE THAT IS NO LESS EXCITING AND MEANINGFUL. I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW YOU AND THE PEOPLE OF GETTYSBURG AND LISTENING TO YOUR THOUGHTS. BUT I DO BEGIN WITH SOME IDEAS; IDEAS BORN OF MY WORK EXPERIENCE AND ALSO OF MY OWN INTEREST - IN HISTORY- IN EDUCATION, - AND IN PRESERVATION OF OUR HERITAGE. SO, BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR CONVERSATIONS, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE SOME OF MY VISION FOR THE MUSEUM AND BATTLEFIELD, MY UNDERSTANDING OF SOME OF THE CHALLENGES, AND THE SOLUTIONS IDENTIFIED BY THE PARK SERVICE AND THE FOUNDATION AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF PUBLIC STUDY AND DISCUSSION.
"WE WANT TO EDUCATE AND TO INSPIRE. WE WANT TO CREATE THE KIND OF EXCITEMENT THAT MAKES PEOPLE THIRST TO KNOW MORE. WE WANT PEOPLE TO LEAVE GETTYSBURG WITH A DEEPER, MORE LASTING APPRECIATION OF WHAT HAPPENED HERE.
"WE WANT THEM TO HAVE A REWARDING VISITOR EXPERIENCE - ONE THAT IS BOTH EMOTIONAL AND INSPIRATIONAL. BY RESTORING BATTLEGROUNDS AND REDUCING TRAFFIC WE WANT TO GIVE VISITORS THE SERENITY TO CONTEMPLATE THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE ON AND AROUND THE PARK'S 6,000 ACRES. WE WANT TO STIR THE SOUL SO THAT GETTYSBURG REMAINS A PART OF EVERYBODY WHO VISITS HERE. WE WANT THAT CONNECTION TO EXTEND TO THE TOWN; ITS ARCHITECTURE, HISTORY, AND ITS PEOPLE. AND, WE WANT THE PEOPLE WHO VISIT GETTYSBURG TO COME BACK AND EXPERIENCE IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
"TO ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS, WE NEED TO RESPOND TO SOME VERY SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES - CHALLENGES THAT WE ALL RECOGNIZE. THE BATTLEFIELD PARK IS BEING OVERWHELMED BY VISITORS. ABOUT 1.7 MILLION PEOPLE VISIT THE BATTLEFIELD EVERY YEAR. THEY COME FROM EVERY PART OF THE WORLD AND, RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE NOT GETTING ALL THAT THEY MIGHT FROM THE EXPERIENCE. THERE ARE SIMPLY TOO MANY PEOPLE FOR THE FACILITIES THAT NOW EXIST. THE VISITOR CENTER IS EQUIPPED TO HANDLE ABOUT 400,000 PEOPLE A YEAR - BUT MORE THAN FOUR TIMES THAT MANY PEOPLE COME TO THE BATTLEFIELD EACH YEAR. THE VISITOR CENTER IS BEING PUSHED BEYOND THE BREAKING POINT. IF YOU VISIT HERE DURING A BUSY SEASON, ONE THING IS CERTAIN - YOU WILL WAIT IN LINE. YOU WILL WAIT TO PARK, YOU WILL WAIT FOR TICKETS, AND YOU WILL WAIT TO TOUR EXHIBITS.
"ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL, VISITORS STRUGGLE TO PICTURE GETTYSBURG AS IT EXISTED OVER 130 YEARS AGO. AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE COME HERE TO DO _ TO EXPERIENCE, IN SOME SMALL WAY, A CRUCIAL MOMENT OF OUR HISTORY.
"OUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE THE BEST EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE. THE ISSUE IS NOT JUST ABOUT SIZE. THE EXISTING FACILITIES DO NOT MEET THE EXPECTATIONS OF TODAY'S VISITORS. THEY DO NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MODERN COMMUNICATIONS TOOLS. THEY DO NOT TAKE ACCOUNT OF WHAT WE'VE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS ABOUT USING OUR COLLECTIONS TO EDUCATE AND INSPIRE. THEY DO NOT PROVIDE PROPER PROTECTION FOR THE CYCLORAMA PAINTING OR THE OTHER ARTIFACTS, MANUSCRIPTS, LETTERS AND PHOTOS HOUSED HERE. THESE PRECIOUS GEMS OF OUR HERITAGE ARE DETERIORATING EACH DAY, TAKING BITS OF OUR HISTORY WITH THEM FOREVER.
"THE FACILITIES ARE BUILT ATOP SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AND FABLED BATTLEFIELDS- THE GROUND WHERE THE UNION REPULSED PICKETT'S CHARGE, THE BLOOD-SOAKED TERRAIN OF CEMETERY RIDGE, THE GREENERY OF ZIEGLER'S GROVE, ARE TODAY OCCUPIED BY BUILDINGS AND PARKING LOTS. BUSES AND CARS NOW COMPETE TO PARK WHERE SOLDIERS STRUGGLED AND DIED.
"WE ALSO MUST TEMPER THESE FRUSTRATIONS WITH THE RECOGNITION THAT THERE HAVEN'T BEEN ENOUGH FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR THE NEEDS AT HAND. AND SO, THE GETTYSBURG NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD MUSEUM FOUNDATION WAS ESTABLISHED TO MOLD AN INNOVATIVE AND EXCITING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP. TOGETHER, WE CAN MEET ALL OF THESE CHALLENGES. WITH DETERMINATION, TEAMWORK AND THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES OF OUR FELLOW CITIZENS, WE CAN RESTORE AND PROPERLY PRESERVE AND PRESENT THE CONSECRATED GROUNDS OF GETTYSBURG. WE CAN RETURN SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF PAVED-OVER BATTLEFIELD TO THEIR NATURAL STATE. ZIEGLER'S GROVE AND CEMETERY RIDGE CAN AGAIN LOOK AS THEY DID WHEN BLUE AND GRAY CLASHED HERE. THE SOLDIERS' NATIONAL CEMETERY CAN RECAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S FAMED ADDRESS. IN THIS WAY, WE CAN BETTER HONOR OUR HISTORY AND KEEP THE STORY ALIVE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
"IN WAYS THAT RESPECT THE LANDSCAPE OF GETTYSBURG, WE CAN BUILD THE MODERN, NEW FACILITIES NEEDED TO HANDLE THE MILLIONS WHO WILL VISIT IN THE YEARS AHEAD. WE CAN BUILD A NEW MUSEUM THAT WILL PROPERLY PROTECT AND PRESENT -- FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS -- ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST EXTENSIVE AND INFORMATIVE COLLECTION OF CIVIL WAR ARTIFACTS, MANUSCRIPTS, LETTERS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS. THROUGH MODERN DISPLAY AND COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES, WE CAN USE THESE ARTIFACTS TO TEACH AND TO INSPIRE. THE COLLECTION SHOULD FIRE THE IMAGINATION, ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE AND ALSO SERVE AS A RESOURCE FOR SCHOLARS AND HISTORIANS. AND, WE CAN ALSO CREATE A STRONGER CONNECTION IN VISITORS' MINDS BETWEEN THE TOWN AND THE BATTLEFIELD.
"FOR THE FULLEST UNDERSTANDING OF THE BATTLE AND THE MOST COMPLETE EXPERIENCE, VISITORS SHOULD KNOW THE TOWN OF GETTYSBURG AS WELL AS THE BATTLEFIELD PARK. THE TOWN WAS PART OF THE BATTLE. SOLDIERS MARCHED HERE, THEY CAMPED HERE, THEY DIED HERE. THE FOUNDATION AND THE PARK SERVICE INTEND TO DO ALL THAT WE CAN - AT THE VISITOR CENTER, AT THE MUSEUM, AT THE PARKING AREAS - USING SIGNS, PAMPHLETS AND DIRECT SUGGESTION TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO VISIT THE TOWN, TO STAY LONGER AND TO COME BACK. BETTER FACILITIES, INCLUDING ENHANCED TRANSPORTATION THAT MAKES IT EASY TO GET TO TOWN AND BACK, ARE ALSO PART OF THE SOLUTION. FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, THE GETTYSBURG EXPERIENCE IS INCOMPLETE IF IT DOESN'T INCLUDE TIME TAKING IN THE SIGHTS, SOUNDS AND AMBIENCE OF THE TOWN ITSELF.
"I KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN QUESTIONS IN THE TOWN OF GETTYSBURG - AMONG ELECTED OFFICIALS, AMONG THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AMONG THE PEOPLE OF THE COMMUNITY - ABOUT WHAT THE PROPOSED PROJECT MEANS FOR YOU: HOW WILL IT AFFECT TRAFFIC? WHAT WILL IT MEAN FOR MY BUSINESS? WILL IT BE A DISNEY-LIKE THEME PARK? THESE ARE REASONABLE, LOGICAL AND IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.
"YOU HAVE MY COMMITMENT THAT THE FOUNDATION WILL DO THIS PROJECT RIGHT - NOT JUST FOR THE BATTLEFIELD, NOT JUST FOR THE VISITORS, BUT FOR THE PEOPLE OF GETTYSBURG.
"WE HAVE CREATED A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE PARK SERVICE AND THE FOUNDATION TO BRING TOGETHER THE NECESSARY FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL RESOURCES IN A WAY THAT WE BELIEVE CAN PROVIDE A LASTING MODEL FOR OTHER PROJECTS NATIONWIDE. THIS PARTNERSHIP -- AND BOB KINSLEY'S COMMITMENT TO DO IT RIGHT -- IS ONE OF THE MANY THINGS ABOUT THIS PROJECT THAT REALLY APPEALED TO ME.
"SIMILAR COMBINATIONS ELSEWHERE HAVE ACHIEVED GREAT THING- NEW YORK'S METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART, AND THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART ARE OWNED BY THE CITY, BUT FUNDED IN LARGE PART BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR. THE SMITHSONIAN IN WASHINGTON, D.C., SIMILARLY RELIES ON SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF PRIVATE MONEY TO FILL THE GAP LEFT BY GOVERNMENT FINANCING. WE ARE GOING TO EXTEND THIS MODEL TO THE BATTLEFIELDS OF THE CIVIL WAR. AS PRESIDENT LINCOLN SAID HERE 137 YEARS AGO: 'IT IS ALTOGETHER FITTING AND PROPER THAT WE SHOULD DO THIS.'
"THERE IS SIMPLY NO OTHER WAY TO GET THE JOB DONE. THE FOUNDATION WILL HAVE TO RAISE OR FINANCE THE MONEY TO FUND THESE IMPROVEMENTS. THE FOUNDATION WILL BUILD A NEW MUSEUM AND VISITOR CENTER - NEAR TO ZIEGLER'S GROVE AND CEMETERY RIDGE, BUT NOT VISIBLE FROM THESE BATTLE SITES. WE WILL BUILD A NEW MUSEUM THAT WILL USE MODERN LEARNING TECHNIQUES TO CAPTURE THE IMAGINATION AND STOKE INTEREST IN THE BATTLE AND ITS AFTERMATH. WE WILL CALL ON EXPERTS TO RESTORE AND RELOCATE THE HISTORIC CYCLORAMA PAINTING AND GIVE IT A PLACE OF HONOR IN AN UP-TO-DATE GALLERY IN THE NEW MUSEUM AND VISITOR CENTER COMPLEX. WE WILL RESTORE ZIEGLER'S GROVE AND SITES ALONG CEMETERY RIDGE, REMOVING PARKING LOTS AND RETURNING THE LAND TO THE NATURAL APPEARANCE SEEN BY THE MEN WHO FOUGHT HERE. AND, WE WILL PROVIDE NEW PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS, WORKING WITH THE PARK SERVICE TO ADD CAPACITY WHILE HARMONIZING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT.
"TODAY, MORE THAN EVER, GETTYSBURG CAN BE A REMINDER OF NATIONAL COMMITMENT; THE COMMITMENT OF PATRIOTS - NORTH AND SOUTH - WHO DEDICATED THEMSELVES TO A CAUSE. IT IS A REMINDER, TOO, THAT WE CAN RISE ABOVE EVEN THE MOST TERRIBLE DIVISION AND COME TOGETHER AS A NATION TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS. AND, TODAY, MORE THAN EVER, GETTYSBURG NEEDS THE SUPPORT AND THE LEADERSHIP OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU - PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS VERY SPECIAL PLACE MUST LIVE ON SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT THE HEROES OF GETTYSBURG REMAIN IN THE HEARTS OF OUR NATION FOR CENTURIES TO COME.
"IN CLOSING, LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT SOME OF MY SHORT-TERM GOALS FOR THE FOUNDATION. WE WILL BE DEVELOPING A PROGRAM AND FUND RAISING PLAN. WE WILL ESTABLISH A BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WHICH IS AN ESSENTIAL FIRST STEP IN OUR FUND RAISING EFFORTS. WITH A PROGRAM PLAN IN PLACE, WE WILL SELECT AN ARCHITECT. THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, WE WILL INVOLVE THE GETTYSBURG COMMUNITY. AS YOU CAN TELL, WE HAVE A LOT OF EXCITING WORK IN FRONT OF US, AND I AM THRILLED TO BE HERE AND EAGER TO GET STARTED.
"THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TODAY TO WELCOME ME. I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING AND WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU. I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR PATIENCE AND I ASK YOU TO JOIN ME - IN PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S WORDS - IN DEDICATING OURSELVES TO THE GREAT TASK REMAINING BEFORE US."
General Agreement- Gettysburg NMP and Museum Foundation
National Park Service
Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325