News---More Acres To Be Added To Gettysburg National Military Park? Others?

Press Release/Media Advisory: Civil War Trust, Federal and State Leaders, to Launch National Preservation Effort on Gettysburg Battlefield 
 

The Civil War Trust, the nation’s largest battlefield preservation organization, will mark the 151st anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg by launching a national campaign to protect one of the most important parts of this hallowed battleground. Joining the Civil War Trust for the July 1, 2014 news conference will be officials from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, along with the Gettysburg Foundation and other conservation leaders.The news conference will begin at 10:00 a.m., on National Park Service property adjacent to the Lutheran Theological Seminary. 

Guest parking will be available in designated areas at the Seminary; please arrive early to allow time to access the event site from the parking area. Following the announcement, light refreshments will be available, and historians will discuss the history of the property the Trust is seeking to preserve.

 Members of the media should contact news@civilwar.org to reserve credentials.

WHAT: Major Preservation Announcement for 151st anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg

WHO: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of the Interior and National Park Service officials, representatives of the Civil War Trust, the Gettysburg Foundation and other conservation and education organizations

WHEN: Tuesday, July 1 at 10:00 a.m. EDT

WHERE: Gettysburg National Military Park. Parking is available at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, 61 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg, PA 17325

Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve our nation’s endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds. To date, it has preserved more than 38,500 acres of battlefield land in 20 states, including 940 acres at Gettysburg. Learn more at www.civilwar.org, the home of the Civil War sesquicentennial.

News---Gettysburg's Seminary Ridge Has Changes Coming : Museum and Leadership

Gettysburg’s new Seminary Ridge Museum, slated to open in time for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, announced today that Ms. Barbara Franco will serve as its first Executive Director of the Museum.

Barbara Franco is nationally recognized as a leader in the history museum field and has served as a past Chairman of the American Association for State and Local History. She brings a wealth of experience in historical interpretation and the opening and operation of new museums. She has been actively involved in planning for the Civil War 150th Anniversary at both the national and state level. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the Cooperstown Graduate Program, Franco has led museum programs in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Washington, D.C. Most recently, she served for nearly 8 years as the executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Franco expressed her “delight to be working on this project, helping to preserve and bring to life one of the most important surviving buildings of the Civil War era in Gettysburg and be a part of one of the lasting legacies of the 150th anniversary of the great battle.”

Gettysburg’s Seminary Ridge Museum is currently under construction in preparation for opening in the spring of 2013. The exhibits will interpret the dramatic developments of the first day of battle, including the pivotal role of the building and its cupola used as lookout by General Buford and others, its conversion to field hospital for more than 600 wounded, and the moral and religious tensions around slavery, African-American history and the local work the Underground Railroad. The interpretations will include video productions, ambient and visitor selected audio programs, artifacts, original murals by Dale Gallon and multi-generational experiences in more than 16 thousand square feet, plus a special ticketed tour of its famous cupola.

Bradley R. Hoch MD, representing the management committee of the museum project, said: “Barbara Franco's skill, experience and proven success in museum creation are nationally recognized. She is the right executive director to open Gettysburg’s Seminary Ridge Museum, and we indeed are very fortunate."

Michael Cooper-White, President of the Lutheran Theological Seminary and partner in the joint venture, captured the importance of the project and choosing leadership carefully: “Converting Schmucker Hall into a state of the art museum is a cherished heirloom that we bequeath to present and future generations who search for the significance of the American Civil War. This museum will be a unique study in human conflict, compassion and commitment and will benefit from the leadership and guidance of Barbara Franco, who has the special skills and knowledge to help us steward this great treasure.”

Franco summed up her eagerness to join in the project, commenting “this museum will offer a new level of interpretation to the first day of the Battle, the building’s contributions to the social and religious context of the Civil War and its devastating aftermath. I am pleased to be able to combine my research and interest in 19th century history with my experience in museum interpretation, education and marketing.”

She is recognized as a national leader in history museums and is a past chairman of the American Association for State and Local History. Since 1997, she has been a faculty member of the Seminar for Historical Administration, teaching a course on “Managing Change” in historical museums and institutions. Ms. Franco has had extensive experience in exhibition development, published catalogues, articles, and given presentations on a number of topics that include historical interpretation, museum practice and historical research. She has been actively involved in heritage tourism development and in state and national planning for the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.

Text Source: Historic Seminary Ridge Foundation

Image Source: Gettysburg Times