New Gettysburg Visitor's Center

[ScottWashburn]

I just got back from a preview visit to the new visitor's center at Gettysburg. It certainly is big I'm not really sure how I feel about it. I'm going to miss the rows and rows of weapons and uniforms and the electric map from the old center. But I guess this will really be a better presentation to the general public. There is about equal emphasis on the war and its causes as there is on the battle itself. It is all very nicely done (although parts of it are still under construction). There is a pretty good movie that has a number of familiar faces in it (and I don't mean Lincoln and Lee). I'll be interested to see it again when it is finished (and when I have more time to look at it--I had two cranky teenagers in tow who just wanted to go home).

[Dunn Browne]

I would have to agree with Scott's comments. I too will miss all the relics on display. I was really hoping that with more square footage that we would get to see more of what was in storage. However, I did go in with an open mind and tried to look through the eyes of a first time visitor who's only Civil War experience will be that one trip to Gettysburg. From that view point I would have to give the new center very high marks. A couple negatives that I will point out now : Although the new museum has some excellent displays and does a great job telling the story of the battle, it is like a maze once you are in there. There needs to be a way to guide you through from start to finish.
The movie which I thought was very well done, spent the first 10 minutes on slavery and then jumped to Gettysburg with a very brief mention of Lee's successes at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Don't get me wrong, I was glad to see slavery and the expansion of that institution to the Western Territories given as the major cause of the war, but 5 minutes of a 20 minute movie would with more explanation of the 1861 - 63 events would have been better in my opinion. My wife, who has not been to Gettysburg for around 15 years thought that the New V.C. was excellent, but did find herself wandering about in the museum. One other positive that I would like to mention is that the exterior design blends very well with the landscape. Even when viewed from the tower on Culp's Hill it fits in quite well. I'm sorry if I'm rambling, I just sat down after a seven hour drive home.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

So, is the new visitors' center the corrupt, for-profit, marriage-made-in-Hades abomination it was made out to be when it was first proposed?

It'll be nice to see Cemetery Ridge restored when the old visitors' ceneter and Cyclorama are removed.

[Rob Weaver]

You know, some of us are old enough to remember when the "Cyclorama Center" WAS the NPS Visitor's Center, and the "Electric Map Museum" was the one next door! If you think the VC had rows and rows of guns on display in the last 20 years, you should have seen it when it was a privately owned museum. Cases literally knee-deep in rusting shell fragments. Bits of junk from all over the Civil War. A terribly uninterpreted mess, to be sure, but as a youngster just the sheer breadth of the junk on display overwhelmed me with the size of the conflict. Everything that's happened in those museums in the past 20 years has been positive, especially for the casual visitor.

[sbl]

"Cyclorama Center"

My NPS sources, (my wife) told me that it was known as the "Starship Cyclorama." My daughter, who was once afraid to go into some Disneyworld attractions, was hesitant to go into the Cyclorama even though her mother once ran the program.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new center!

[TimKindred]

Comrades,

The attached pdf is an AAR of his first visit to the new GNMP visitor's center by the chairman of the New Hampshire Civil War Roundtable. I include it without comment for your perusal.

Respects,

[ScottWashburn]

I have to agree that I was disappointed with the relative lack of information on the Battle of Gettysburg itself. Clearly the new visitor's center was designed as a One-Stop-American-Civil-War-Exhibit. While it might be a tad frustrating for folks like us, it will probably do very well for the vast majority who's Gettysburg trip will be their first and only exposure to the Civil War. And I still think it is a big improvement over the old visitor's center. Honestly, if you didn't go to the Electric Map, you wouldn't have learned anything at all about the battle in that place. Rows and rows of guns and uniforms are nice to look at but would not teach the average person very much. I'm sorry to hear about the junky souvenirs (I didn't go into the shop while I was there) that seems inappropriate. But I'm sure the place will evolve over time as they discover what works and what doesn't. Still, I'm most excited at the prospect of returning the site of the old VC and Cyclorama to their original state. That alone is more than worth some junky souvenirs

[sbl]

Thank you Tim.

[Rob Weaver]

"My daughter, who was once afraid to go into some Disneyworld attractions, was hesitant to go into the Cyclorama even though her mother once ran the program.

THAT is simply awesome! When I was a youngster, the guide would take the tour out on the observation desk immediately after viewing the painting, and you could have the experience of standing at the same vantagepoint as the cyclorama in real life. Several years ago, I ran into an article by the son of the archetect which indicated that this was a key component of the tour as they envisioned it in 1960 and the entire building was constructed to support that concept. Throughout the 60s, the museum displays were minimal thrwo aways just meant to give you something to occupy your attention until you could view the painting. And, yes, the crowds were huge. Over time, the observation deck fell out of use and the rest of the raison d'etre for the building became problematic. And not to be forgotten - it leaked like a sieve! Spent a lot of winter afternoons up there in college, though. The cyclorama was the best $0.50 show in town!

[Pete K]

Having taken a few Boy Scout hikes at Gettysburg NMP on the old Blue and Gray (two days-13 miles long) hike how does the new VC affect the hike? the VC and Cyclorama were big parts of the old route. the BSA is notoroiusly slow in updating some publications. It was a very good overview of the battle for young students. I've taken boys as young as 10 years to 18 years old and even the parents who have been there were impressed with what they learned. We might take the Troop back this summer, has anyone done the Boy Scout tour recently?