Statement Regarding the Confederate Flag

Date: June 25, 2015
Contact: Katie Lawhon, 717-338-4402
Contact: Cindy Small, 717-339-2109

On June 24, National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis asked park superintendents to work with their partners and bookstore operators to voluntarily withdraw from sale items that solely depict a Confederate flag. The National Park Service press release can be found here.

"We strive to tell the complete story of America," National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said of the agency's reputation for telling difficult parts of our history. "All sales items in parks are evaluated based on educational value and their connection to the park. Any stand-alone depictions of Confederate flags have no place in park stores." 

Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendent Ed Clark asked the Gettysburg Foundation to consider this request. This morning, the Gettysburg Foundation President Joanne Hanley requested the bookstore operator, Event Network, to comply with the request. 

Hanley said, "We are committed to our partnership with the National Park Service at Gettysburg for the preservation of resources and for outstanding educational programs." 

Effective today, the book store at Gettysburg National Military Park's Museum &Visitor Center will no longer sell stand-alone items that solely feature the Confederate flag, including display and wearable items. This affects 11 out of 2,600 items carried in the book store. 

The book store continues to sells a wide variety of items that feature both the U.S. and Confederate flags, as well books, DVDs, and other educational and interpretive media where the image of the Confederate flag is depicted in its historical context.