Lincoln Train Station Rehab To Begin
By Deborah Fitts
December 2003
GETTYSBURG, Pa. - After five years of planning,
the Borough of Gettysburg expects to go out to bid in January
to carry out a $2 million rehabilitation of its historic train
depot, the Lincoln Train Station.
Walt Powell, the Borough's historic preservation officer, said
the Borough is "shooting for" a dedication of the
project in November 2004, 141 years to the month since Abraham
Lincoln came through the station on his way to delivering the
Gettysburg Address.
The depot will serve as a visitor information and orientation
center that will emphasize Borough history. About $400,000 of
the total project is going to the fabrication and installation
of exhibits and interpretive panels outlining the history of
the station and highlights from Gettysburg's past.
The centerpiece of the building will be a model of the station
as it appeared in 1863. William Aldrich of Gettysburg, whom
Powell described as one of the leading miniature-railroad modelers
in the country, donated a model of the building to the Borough
in August.
The replica, scaled at one inch to the foot, took 2,000 hours
to build, Powell said.
The portion of the building fronting Carlisle Street still retains
its wartime appearance, but the rear, along the tracks, was
added on in the 1880s. The depot was originally a modest "head
house," meaning head of the rail line, when it was built
in 1858, according to Powell.
He cited several dramatic discoveries in preparing the building
for the project, including the original paint scheme, a set
of double doors "that Lincoln undoubtedly went through,"
and an original "switch tie" used to shunt the train
when it reversed direction for the outbound trip.
Funding for the project comes from federal and state sources,
plus a quarter of a million dollars in private donations from
foundations and individuals.
Powell attributed the delay largely to the "multiple layers
of oversight" by the state transportation department in
administering a federal transportation grant.
"But the delays have actually worked to our advantage,"
Powell said, noting that Gettysburg College is preparing to
undertake a $12 million overhaul of the adjoining Majestic Theatre,
built in 1925. And the Borough is eyeing an abandoned service
station across Carlisle Street from the depot as a possible
shuttle bus stop and visitor center.
