I found a dozen pictures and postcards taken at various points of the early 20th century of the National Cemetery Rostrum. Each one is different and offers a different look at how the Rostrum was 'dressed up' for important speakers and dignitaries. The view I was able to match was a northeasterly view taken from the Taneytown Road entrance. I was about 20 feet further away from the original photograph, taken 101 years ago but the angles are identical. As usual, I used my trusty General Electric 10.1 megapixel model # A1050 digital camera. My photo was taken on Sunday, July 17, 2011, approximately 4:00 PM and a beautiful summer day.
In my photo tandem, the Rostrum appears identical. The background is also the same. This is one of the few pics I have been able to recover where the fore and background are identical. The other photos of this site have the Rostrum looking different. In some, ivy is everywhere, crawling all over the brick. In another, a ramp was constructed with a whole mess of wood temporarily added to the Rostrum. President Roosevelt was in a wheelchair, and there were accessibility accommodations that needed to be made. In many other pictures, patriotic bunting is draped over the Rostrum so semi circular flags surround the platform.
The following is from one of my other waymarks about the Rostrum:
The Rostrum is located just inside the Taneytown Road entrance gates. It is up about fifty feet or so and directly to the left, across from the Lincoln Speech Memorial. The National Park Service is planning on “redoing” the Rostrum in the National Cemetery in time for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in 2013. I noticed some bricks needed repointing, moss was staining the 'floor' of bricks up top and the wood trellis is in need of replacing or sanding and re-staining. The structure was rehabbed in 1979 for its hundredth birthday. The Rostrum is a very popular site inside the cemetery. There are dozens of various postcards depicting this contributing structure at the turn of the century in a wide array of angles.
A variety of Presidents or future Presidents supposedly have spoken on the Rostrum, including Rutherford B. Hayes, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower (he lived here!), and Lyndon B. Johnson (when he was Vice President in 1963). What about Lincoln you say? Well, he was here but this thing had yet to be built. That was still sixteen year away. The Rostrum was built by the War Department in 1879.
The National Cemetery Rostrum is a contributing feature to the Gettysburg
National Military Park Historic District which is nationally significant under NR
Criteria A, B, C & D. Areas of Significance: Military, Politics/Government, Landscape
Architecture, Conservation, Archeology-Historic. Period of Significance: 1863-1938.
The original National Register Nomination was approved by the Keeper March 19, 1975.
An update to this nomination was approved by the Keeper on January 23, 2004. The
monument is identified as structure number 133.
From the Nomination Form:
Rostrum is part of the National Cemetery which was commerated by Lincoln's 1863 address, replacing temporary speaking platforms w/ a more public forum. Tied & designed to become integral part of Cemetery landscape.
Short Physical Description:
Elevated speaker's platform, 36'-10"x 22'. Pergola roof sits upon 12, 18"sq brick columns. 2 stairs 9'-11"x6' on E & W ends. 2-1/2" dia metal rails between columns & at steps. Brick floor w/ granite perimeter; spalling brick walls & deteriorating wood pergola.
Long Physical Description:
This 32x18 feet speaker’s platform is located in the southern end of the national cemetery. It is elevated about five feet above grade on a brick foundation. The brick floor of the platform has a granite perimeter and is approached by central flights of stone steps on the east and west elevations. Twelve 12-foot high, square brick Tuscan columns arranged in three rows of four surmounted on brick pedestals ascend from the platform. A heavy wooden beam tops each row of columns. A pergola roof crowns the wooden beams to form a trellis. Originally covered with English ivy on the brick and wisteria vines over the pergola, with a sod-covered platform (now masonry).
My Sources
1.
NRHP Narrative
2.
Gettysburg Daily
3.
Gettysburg Times