Gettysburg Priorities
I have now had the opportunity to serve as Gettysburg National Military Park’s (NMP) Superintendent for a portion of each of our four seasons. It’s has been a thrilling, challenging, and rigorous time! I’d like to thank The Civil War News publisher and editor, Kay Jorgensen, for allowing me the opportunity to write about a few of our priorities in this preservation column. There are many issues at Gettysburg and many top priorities but in this column I’ll be writing about the three C’s: the Cyclorama building, cultural landscapes, and the Civil War 150th.
The Cyclorama building: As many of you may have read by now, Gettysburg NMP is seeking the public’s input on the future of the Cyclorama building. National Park Service staff will be preparing a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document called an environmental assessment. The environmental assessment will describe and evaluate alternatives regarding the future of the Gettysburg Cyclorama building, a National Register eligible structure located on North Cemetery Ridge on the Gettysburg battlefield. We are responding to a March 2010 decision of the United States District Court directing the NPS to undertake a “site-specific environmental analysis on the demolition of the Cyclorama” building and to consider “non-demolition alternatives” to its removal before “any implementing action is taken” on the building. The 1962 Cyclorama building was designed by noted architect Richard Neutra and was constructed on an area of the Gettysburg battlefield where major battle action occurred. In 1999, the NPS approved a General Management Plan for Gettysburg NMP that called for (among numerous other actions) the demolition of the Cyclorama building in order to provide for the long-term preservation of the Cyclorama painting (a National Historic Object) and the rehabilitation of the historic landscapes of the battlefield. During the general management planning process the NPS consulted with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Officer, the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, numerous interested parties, and the public. The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Officer and the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation both approved the demolition of the building in order to rehabilitate the 1863 battlefield, as did the majority of the public comments received. The current planning process will consider a range of alternatives including: keeping the building in its current site and “mothballing” it; reusing the building in its current site; relocating the building to a new site; and demolishing the building to return the area to its appearance at the time of the fighting of this pivotal Civil War battle in July 1863. Your participation is very important to the success of this planning process. We have completed an initial public scoping process and, in the next few months, we will publish an environmental assessment for public review and comment. To learn more, go to www.nps.gov/gett, click on “Management” and then click on “Public Involvement.”
Cultural landscapes: Improving the sustainability of the park’s battlefield rehabilitation projects is another important priority for the park. In the last 10 years we have successfully implemented dozens of battlefield rehabilitation projects on the cultural landscapes at Gettysburg. We have re-opened historic vistas so people can better understand infantry attacks and artillery roles on the field. Together with partners and volunteers we have replanted orchards and rebuilt fences so visitors can better understand how orchards offered shelter for soldiers in the heat of battle, and how fences became deadly obstacles during the fighting. In doing so, we have also increased our responsibilities for stewardship of battlefield landscape features. It’s absolutely vital that we maintain every acre of the newly opened fields. We must dedicate resources and staff to ensure that exotic vegetation (like multi-flora rose and mile-a-minute weed, to name a few) do not fill in historic woodlots. We have to dedicate ourselves and gather our resources to keep up with the maintenance of newly built fences, and mow and prune orchards to keep them healthy. This is no easy task — which is why I want to give my special thanks here to all of our park volunteers, and our special corps of “Friends of Gettysburg” volunteers, who have taken on the daunting task of removing thorny vines and vegetation from old fences. Preserving the historic landscapes of the Gettysburg battlefield takes partners and volunteers with fortitude, commitment, and good work gloves! If you want to help, give us a call and ask about our “adopt-a-position” volunteer program.
Civil War 150th: As Gettysburg NMP begins to formulate specific plans for the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, we have set a goal to engage new audiences and tell stories beyond the battlefield – connecting people to the experiences of civilians and the struggle of African-Americans toward freedom and equality. The park’s partner for the marketing of the events is the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) and they have launched a Web site www.gettysburgcivilwar150.com with visitor information and listings of all Gettysburg area events associated with the 150th anniversary. The Web site is a companion of the Gettysburg CVB’s Web site – www.gettysburg.travel – where visitors can find information on accommodations, places to eat, entertainment, shopping and other events in the Gettysburg and Adams County area. There will be hundreds of events in the Gettysburg area over the four-year commemoration and it is vital that our visitors have a place where they can plan their trips to Gettysburg. The new Web site already has more than three dozen events, ranging from battle re-enactments, parades, anniversaries and special programming. Although the official 150th anniversary for the Battle of Gettysburg is July 1-3, 2013, Gettysburg’s commemoration will run from 2011 to 2015. The Gettysburg CVB is estimating that visitation will spike from Gettysburg’s three million annual visitors, to four million in 2013. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania also has a Web site with statewide special event and program information for the Civil War 150th. To learn more visit: www.PACivilWar150.com
James Robert (Bob) Kirby began his assignment as superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site on March 1, 2010. He had been superintendent of Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia since 2001. (See story on the appointment in the Feb./March issue.)
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