News--Gettysburg's New Seminary Ridge Musem Opens July 1 {Pittsburgh Post Gazette}

Seminary Ridge Opening To Mark Gettyburg Anniversary, Tom Barnes, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, April 14, 2013.

. . . A major part of the celebration will be the opening of the $15 million Seminary Ridge Museum, which, appropriately, takes place July 1. It's been created in a large building that was a Lutheran theological seminary in 1863 and which became a makeshift hospital for both Union and Confederate troops wounded in the fighting.

PG map: Seminary Ridge Museum

Construction of the new museum "will allow visitors to walk the halls of a building where wounded soldiers suffered, hear their voices of duty and devotion and stand in the spot in the cupola on Seminary Ridge where Union Gen. John Buford stood to observe the approaching Confederate forces," said museum director Barbara Franco.

The seminary, which educated Lutheran pastors, was founded on the ridge in 1832 and is still located there, although it has expanded and modernized, with many more classroom and administrative buildings than it had 150 years ago.
The four-story, red brick building that was the original seminary building has been turned into a Civil War museum. It still has its tall cupola on top -- a one-time bell tower where Buford spotted thousands of Confederate troops advancing from the west toward his small band of cavalry, who stepped down from their horses to fight. "He could see the Confederate campfire lights off in the hills to the west," Ms. Franco said. "He could see that the Union was vastly outnumbered."
. . . . . 
The museum's depiction of the medical care includes lifelike, human-size figures created to represent the suffering soldiers, with many stretched out on beds or the floor.
In many cases Union soldiers who were wounded on the first day of battle didn't receive any care for three days because Confederates controlled the makeshift hospital and were tending to their own wounded. Care for these Union soldiers didn't come until July 4, when rebel forces finally retreated south to Virginia. The seminary was used as a hospital until September 1863.

One room shows a surgeon with a saw preparing to amputate the leg of a soldier, with (fake) blood all over the floor. There was chloroform and ether to somewhat ease a patient's suffering.
"The pain these guys must have been in, with broken arms and legs and gunshot wounds, is unbelievable," Ms. Franco said. She added the museum has done research to uncover the names of all the patients treated in the hospital and the nurses who treated them. The second floor is devoted to moral and theological disputes during the war. "Religion played a major role in the war, with both North and South claiming God was on their side," Ms. Franco said.

She's hoping to attract a new crowd to Gettysburg -- Christians and others interested in social justice issues, including the owning of slaves and what the Bible has to say about it. She said biblical quotations were used by both pro- and anti-slavery advocates to justify their positions.
One second-floor room is devoted to Adams County abolitionists who helped escaping slaves flee from the South through the Underground Railroad, a series of houses where they stayed.
Ms. Franco hopes to attract 70,000 people a year to the museum.

The Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation was formed in 1999 to bring greater public knowledge of what happened that July 1. Working with it on the museum were current officials of the seminary and the Adams County Historical Society. Also, a mile-long outdoor walking trail around the seminary property is being created by the National Park Service and a promotional group called Main Street Gettysburg.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/civilwar/museums-opening-to-help-mark-gettysburg-anniversary-683389/#ixzz2QkP52mYo

NEWS---Lutheran Seminary At Gettysburg Creates Museum of Civilian Life, Battlefield Medicine; Price Tag-$15 Million

Lutheran Theological Seminary Outlines Civil War Museum Plans, Amy Stansbury, Evening Sun, August 29, 2012. 

In a town with plenty of history already on display, the Lutheran Theological Seminary plans a museum with more stories to tell, organizers said Wednesday evening at a public information session. The Seminary Ridge Museum, to be located in Schmucker Hall in Gettysburg, will focus on stories of the seminary and religious leaders, as well as those of doctors, nurses and soldiers, with an emphasis on interactive exhibits.

“Just about every inch of this museum will be public access,” said Barbara Franco, founding executive director of the Seminary Ridge Museum. “Even the offices will be offsite. We really want this to be a public place now.” The desire to make the entire building accessible to the public stems from the historical relevance of the place itself. During the battle it was used as a hospital and its cupola served as a lookout for General John Buford. After the museum opens that cupola will be available to the public, a long awaited moment for many Civil War buffs.

Of course the privilege will not come without a price. Cupola tickets will cost $20 each to compensate for the high cost of maintaining the structure. Regular adult admission to the museum will cost $9, senior citizen and student tickets will cost $7. Discount rates will also be available for large groups. “We are really looking to market this to families with children and school groups,” Franco said. “There will be lots of interactive exhibits for children to connect with the history. In an effort to make it more appealing toward children, the stories of the Zeigler family will be woven throughout Schmucker Hall. The Zeiglers lived in the building during the battle and two of the children left behind memoirs detailing what life was like during that time.

Two pathways will also be built throughout the seminary to deepen those historical connections. Both have been funded by federal grants and will be finished in time for the museums grand opening July 1, 2013.  On July 1, 1863 at 10 oclock the first artillery fire was heard on the ridge, Franco said. What better time to cut the ribbon and open the museum. So far, the museum is on track to be finished in time for the 150th celebration. It is on time and on budget and construction is expected to be completed by October. 

One hundred eighty seven years ago the seminary came to Gettysburg because the town offered it the most support, Michael Cooper-White, president of the Lutheran Theological Seminary said. We have always tried to be a part of the community and what we are doing today is part of that vision. Once complete, Schmucker Hall will utilize a geothermal heating system as part of that certification. The staff will work toward receiving a silver LEED certification for the building, identifying it as an environmentally friendly and sustainable piece of architecture. 

For a historic building to receive a silver LEED certification is pretty incredible, Franco said. But that is just another part of the seminarys long term plans. The museum will then prepare for a soft opening in April, allowing a limited number of preview tours to pass through Schmucker Hall before the grand opening in July.  In the end, the project will cost $15 million, financed by the seminarys fundraising efforts.  So far, $10 million have been raised. 

That money will go toward more than just the preservation of Schmucker Hall. 
Parking is in short supply at the seminary, and museum plans include the addition of 100 new parking spaces to be installed throughout the campus.  In order to fix the parking problem without destroying too much green space, the seminary will spread out parking across a larger area and disperse vegetated islands throughout the lots. 

This will create a tree canopy across the area, adding more green space and hiding the cars, John Spangler, president of the Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation said. Amidst concerns that the additional parking spaces would disturb sacred ground where the Confederate last stand was fought, Spangler reminded the public that the probable location of the barricades used in battle was already paved over by tennis courts many years ago.  But as part of this construction, we will be removing those tennis courts and recreating a portion of those barricades, Spangler said. 

For Cooper-White, sharing this history with the public is the main goal and he is excited to see it finally come to fruition.  We always say that we are at the crossroads of history and hope, Cooper-White said. And I think with this we are helping to play out that vision. 

Text and Image Source:  Evening Sun