Historical Society Opens New Museum at Gettysburg

By Leon Reed · Originally published May 2023 · pp. 19

Historical Society Opens New Museum at Gettysburg — lead photograph from the original article

Historical Society Opens New Museum at Gettysburg By Leon Reed The redevelopment of Gettysburg, now well underway with a new children’s museum at the Rupp House, a virtual reality experience at the old train station, and the new World War II American Experience museum west of town, will take another gigantic step April 15 with the opening of another major new attraction: the Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum. The new museum was developed by the Adams County Historical Society in a new facility on Biglerville Rd., less than a mile north of the town square and just south of Howard Ave. The property was originally part of the Almshouse and most recently was the site of the jail. Adams County is best known for the July 1863 battle and Lincoln’s speech later the same year, but the story is much broader. The museum gives ample treatment to the battle but presents the broader perspective, starting millions of years ago when South Mountain, Devil’s Den, and other features of the landscape were created. The museum also covers other prehistoric topics such as a meteorite that hit present-day Mount Joy township (ironically, the meteor fragment is on loan from a museum in Austria) and early human settlers. In the colonial era, the museum describes early villages, roads, and white settlers, including the story of Mary Jemison, a teenage girl kidnapped by Indians who voluntarily chose to remain with the Indians. The museum covers the Civil War era, including a four minute “immersive experience” during which participants huddle in the dark while bullets and artillery shells whiz by, giving participants a sense of what it might have been like for Gettysburg civilians. The museum then covers Gettysburg after the battle, presentations on topics such as the rise of the fruit industry; tourism; presidential visits and Gettysburg’s most famous resident, Dwight D. Eisenhower; and the uses of the park in World War I (a tank training school) and World War II (a POW camp). The facility also includes an impressive bookstore and conference facilities on the second floor. And its collection of tens of thousands of documents and artifacts will be housed in safer facilities and will be more accessible to the hundreds of historical and genealogical researchers who use these collections.

For years, the local historical society was housed in cramped quarters on Seminary Ridge. Planning for the new facility has been underway for more than a decade but came together within the past five years under the leadership of 25-year old executive director Andrew Dalton, a Gettysburg native and Gettysburg College graduate. His vision was instrumental in securing the support of local business, civic, and government leaders. The original budget was $5M but the cost ultimately came in at $12M, including $2.8M from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, $1M from the Adams County commissioners, and major donations from other local and national donors. Dalton is justifiably proud of the effort. “Now we have a beautiful facility to showcase our remarkable story.” Tim Smith, who played a leading role in designing the museum and its exhibits, noted how quickly it came together once the project gained critical mass. “We bought this property in 2004 and tore down the prison the following year,” he said. “We always had a plan for a new museum and considered different options and different sites. But things happened quickly once the capital campaign started in 2019.” Even the Covid epidemic played a part. “We weren’t able to do anything else, so I started designing and writing some of the panels.” A project this big doesn’t get completed without major support from a lot of people and this project was no exception. All films in the museum were produced by local film-maker Jake Boritt and narrated by actor Stephen Lang. The first temporary exhibit will feature some rare photos from the collection of

Historical Society Opens New Museum at Gettysburg — photograph 2 from the original article

William Frassanito. The featured exhibit, a 360-degree sight and sound experience called “Caught in the Crossfire,” was written by best-selling author Jeff Shaara.

Historical Society Opens New Museum at Gettysburg — photograph 3 from the original article

Adams County Historical Society’s new building. (Photo courtesy Adams County Historical Society; all others by Leon Reed..)

Historical Society Opens New Museum at Gettysburg — photograph 4 from the original article

Mock tavern display.

Historical Society Opens New Museum at Gettysburg — photograph 5 from the original article

Relics found on the Gettysburg battlefield.

Gettysburg in Popular Culture with Jeff Shaara and Ken Burns.

Display includes U.S. cartridge box with sling, sword and revolver.