Gettysburg: the Power of Partnership

As 2017 comes to a close, let’s take a moment to consider how fortunate Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site are to have such a powerful partnership with the Gettysburg Foundation. For 28 years the Gettysburg Foundation has stood with the National Park Service (NPS) as the steward of preservation, restoration, and education at Gettysburg National Military Park, assisting with ongoing preservation needs of the battlefield, the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, and the Eisenhower National Historic Site.

Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center

The Foundation funded, designed, and constructed the park’s $103 million Museum and Visitor Center which opened in 2008. The Foundation’s member organization has more than 22,000 active “Friends of Gettysburg” who help increase awareness and relevancy for the Gettysburg and Eisenhower parks. Friends’ volunteer opportunities create more meaningful engagement with the national park system, strengthening and expanding support for parks.

On Giving Tuesday, Recruit Volunteers from the Friends of Gettysburg helped prune historic orchards. Gettysburg's Randy Krichten provided some instructions to Elle Lamboy of the Gettysburg Foundation.

Recruit members of the Friends of Gettysburg prune and maintain a number of Gettysburg’s historic orchards, picking apples for hard cider created locally. Cider sales in turn create a sustainability fund for the orchards which are significant features that affected the fighting of the Battle of Gettysburg. Recruits trend toward a new, more diverse generation of park supporters that’s extremely important to the future of the National Park Service.

Celebrating the completion of the rehab of Cemetery Ridge: Barbara Finfrock, Vice Chairman of the Gettysburg Foundation board, seated, with, from left, Christopher Gwinn, Chief of Interpretation, Dr. Matt Moen, Gettysburg Foundation President, and Tom Forsyth, Deputy Superintendent.

Through its Friends programs, operation of the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, and many other efforts, the Foundation offers philanthropic support that directly benefits the Gettysburg and Eisenhower parks and the NPS as a whole. In 2017, the Foundation supported the “Great Task Youth Leadership” program, assisted with acquisition of numerous important objects for the park’s museum collections, and helped fund the completion of the rehabilitation of the historic landscapes of Cemetery Ridge.

Pitching in at the Eisenhower Farm: Eisenhower National Historic Site Manager Ahna Wilson and Dr. Matt Moen, Gettysburg Foundation President, pitch in with some paint brushes during a recent volunteer work day at the Eisenhower Farm.

Upcoming projects include helping fund a new, one-mile interpretive trail connecting the Museum and Visitor Center with Powers Hill and the George Spangler Farm; and projects to provide enhanced visitor access and experience at Little Round Top and its surroundings while ensuring its protection and stewardship.

"We're extremely grateful for this powerful partnership with the Gettysburg Foundation. Their support allows us to better preserve park resources and improves our ability to tell the compelling stories of Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site," said Chuck Hunt, acting superintendent, Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site.

A Powerful Partnership between Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Foundation.