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

(Gettysburg Foundation)

About the New Museum and Visitor Center
At Gettysburg National Military Park

The Gettysburg Foundation, in partnership with the National Park Service at Gettysburg, is working to restore, preserve and enhance the consecrated ground of America's most revered Civil War battlefield. Gettysburg holds a special place in American history, not only as a turning point in the war, but as the site of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, in which he outlined his vision for the nation. Completion of this $135 million project will enable the Foundation and the National Park Service to make Gettysburg a classroom of democracy: a place that educates and inspires; a place that honors America by promoting a better understanding of the forces that shaped our national character.

The new museum and visitor center will allow Gettysburg National Military Park to accomplish its critical preservation goals:

Care for the park’s collection of 300,000 Civil War artifacts and 700,000 archival items – one of the largest and most significant Civil War era collections in the nation.

Care for the magnificent Cyclorama painting.

Rehabilitate portions of the battlefield, including removal of outdated and poorly sited visitor facilities and parking lots from the Union battle line on Cemetery Ridge, where nearly 1,000 Union soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured.

Provide visitors with a better understanding of the Battle of Gettysburg and what it means to the nation.

The heart of the Gettysburg Foundation’s Campaign to Preserve Gettysburg is the new Museum and Visitor Center, which will help protect the resources of the park and help visitors better understand the sacred ground of America’s most revered Civil War battlefield. By properly preserving the park’s extensive collection of Civil War artifacts and archives and returning portions of the battlefield, as closely as possible, to their 1863 appearance, we can give visitors a deeper, more lasting appreciation of the events and the meaning of Gettysburg. In the process, we also will help them connect the battle with America’s continuing commitment to freedom around the world.

The 139,000-square-foot facility has been designed to blend into the rural Pennsylvania countryside. Cooper Robertson & Partners of New York City is the design architect. LSC Design of York, Pa., is the architect of record. 

The new Museum and Visitor Center is adjacent to the battlefield, but sited at a low point in the terrain so it will not be visible from the major interpretive points. Located near the intersection of Hunt Avenue and Baltimore Pike, a short distance from the current visitor center, the new facility is on ground that saw no major battle action.

The new museum opened to visitors on Monday, April 14, 2008. A grand opening is scheduled for September 2008 when the newly conserved Cyclorama painting will be completed and shown to the public as it first appeared when it debuted in 1884.

Creating a 21st-Century Museum Experience

“We want to create a sense of place that evokes the emotions of 1863, while also meeting visitors’ expectations of a 21st-century museum experience,” said Foundation President Robert C. Wilburn. "The building is designed to showcase the battlefield, and encourage visitors to go outside and explore the historic landscape. Our goal is to help every visitor better appreciate the significance of what happened here.”

A rotunda gallery will welcome visitors and set the stage for the museum experience. That will be followed by a main museum gallery, which will be organized to help visitors understand and appreciate the museum’s major themes:

The unfinished work of the Declaration of Independence, the causes of the Civil War, and the War until June 1863

The Campaign and Battle of Gettysburg, which will comprise about two-thirds of the exhibit galleries

The Gettysburg Address, the Civil War from Gettysburg to Appomattox, reconciliation, and the consequences of the War.

The new facility also will include a feature film experience that will immerse the audience in the sights, sounds and emotions of the battle and its aftermath, while theaters in the galleries will offer short films that focus on each of the three days of battle. Interactive stations located throughout the new museum will give visitors access to information about the people, the battle, the collection and the monuments. 

A new Cyclorama Gallery will display the completely restored Gettysburg Cyclorama painting, including the original skyline, the canopy and the original three-dimensional diorama that have been missing for more than 40 years. For the first time in decades, visitors will be able to view the restored painting as the artist originally intended. On the mezzanine level, visitors will encounter exhibits on the history of the Gettysburg Cyclorama painting and its restoration, as well as the history of the original Cyclorama Building. 

New multi-purpose educational facilities will provide much-needed space for teacher workshops, classroom use and distance learning programs. 

An expanded book and museum store, along with food service, will be among the visitor amenities available. At the "Refreshment Saloon," visitors will have an opportunity to experience for themselves Civil War-era foods and recipes, as well as the role played by the volunteers who supplemented government-issue rations. Civilians in major Northern cities set up what they called "volunteer refreshment saloons" to provide food to troops passing through. Many local volunteers, including merchants, contributed their time and their merchandise to support the troops.

Using the Voices of the Participants to Tell the Gettysburg Story

State-of-the-art exhibits will immerse visitors in the stories of the Civil War era, as well as of the battle. And the exhibits will tell these stories -- in the words of the participants -- from a number of important perspectives:

From those of the commanders - Abraham Lincoln and George Meade, Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee

From the soldiers, each of whom had his own reasons for fighting

From the war correspondents, through whose eyes America - and the world - viewed the war

And from the civilians, especially the citizens of Gettysburg, the small crossroads town that found itself overrun by 165,000 soldiers -- the conflict literally entering their homes.

Throughout the 11 exhibit galleries, visitors still will encounter the popular displays of weaponry and uniforms, along with a great deal more. State-of-the-art galleries will use a greater variety of objects and artifacts from Gettysburg National Military Park’s extensive collection — and from other museums and private collections from around the country — to offer perspective, and a greater appreciation for the sacrifices of those who became a part of the greatest battle ever fought in North America. 

For additional information on the Gettysburg Foundation and its efforts with the museum project, visit the Gettysburg Foundation web site.

Museum Updates, April 2008:

The new Museum and Visitor Center opened to the public on April 14, 2008.