Traveling Trunks

(National Park Service)

"The Life of the Civil War Soldier" Traveling Trunks

If your class cannot get to the battlefield, bring Gettysburg into your classroom. Gettysburg National Military Park is pleased to offer you and your students our Civil War Traveling Trunk. Through various clothing items, military accoutrements, pastime activities, photographs, literature and music, students will be able to appreciate what the daily life of a Civil War soldier was actually like. The curriculum and clothing in the trunk is targeted for the 5th Grade student but it can be made adaptable for students in grades 4 to 8 and we do have a trunk specifically for the 8th Grade. You may set up the six learning stations in your classroom or use a common room so that the whole school can become involved. So, how do you reserve one of our trunks?

Schools in Adams, Franklin or York, Pennsylvania:
You can reserve one of our Traveling Trunks through the Lincoln Intermediate Unit's Instructional Services Division, and it will be delivered to your school. For reservations, call Barbara Wantz at [phone]

Schools within driving distance of Gettysburg:
You can reserve and pick up one of our Traveling Trunks here at the park. For reservations, please fill out the form on the reverse side of this sheet and write PICK-UP/DROP-OFF under the comments section. We ask for a nominal donation to help with wear-and-tear of the items, but of course no shipping and handling charges.

Schools Across The Region and Country:
The trunks have been shipped and used successfully in Florida, Washington . . . even Hawaii!! The trunk is available for a two-week time frame throughout the school year for a requested donation to cover the cost of shipping and handling. To reserve a trunk, fill out the NPS Reservations Request Form (pdf) available at the bottom of this page. For further information about the trunks, contact Barbara Sanders, Education Coordinator at [phone] extension 3151.

Important Note: The heaviest demand for a trunk is usually during the spring so please consider requesting a trunk for the fall or winter months.

 

Traveling Trunk Guide Book For Teachers* (pdf, 300kb)

*In Text Only format.

Please note that the contents of each Traveling Trunk are similar and based on the theme of The Life of a Civil War Soldier, though each may have some minor variations in items, additional stations, etc. This booklet is the basic guide for a trunk, even though the trunk you receive may have some of these differences.

 

All of our Traveling Trunks have been reserved for the 2013 School Year. Check back in August for trunk availability for the 2013-2014 School Year.