Gettysburg Battlefield Museum - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 48.688 W 077° 13.561
18S E 309457 N 4409202
Technically, there are two museums, one is this waymark and the other is the entire town of Gettysburg. This museum is located at the welcome/visitor center.
Waymark Code: WM9P55
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 09/12/2010
Views: 15
At the website says, this is the place to begin your experience. I did not start here but wish I did so I had more of a understanding of everything I visited and saw. The 22,000 square-foot museum gallery takes visitors through the Civil War with relics from one of the largest museum collections in America, interactive programs and multi-media presentations. Understand the sacrifice of Gettysburg with the film, "A New Birth of Freedom" and the fury of battle with the Gettysburg Cyclorama.
The museum has most of their collection behind glass or plexiglass displays. There are videos and paintings as well as artifacts. There is also a really neat Lincoln Hall (that's what I call it) with all sorts of pictures, sculptures and artifacts of and about Abe LIncoln. This building was constructed in 2008 (according to the cornerstone). There is a gift shop, too. I was also able to get my National Parks passport book stamped here. A separate counter to the right sells tickets and answers questions. There is a huge parking lot with plenty of parking and buses to shuttle folks around the various battlefield. The folks here were friendly and helpful.
Out front is a pretty cool 'sit-by-me' statue of Lincoln. This life-sized bronze sculpture of Abraham Lincoln was unveiled to visitors in November 2009 at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. The sculpture, which is situated in a new environment at the front entrance to the Museum and Visitor Center, is the result of a collaboration of artist Ivan Schwartz of StudioEIS; landscape architect Andrew Balderson of Donovan, Feola, Balderson & Associates; and philanthropist Robert H. Smith. Staff members from the National Park Service and the Gettysburg Foundation have been involved in each step of the year-long process of creating the sculpture — from concept to installation.