Apr 7, 2008 6:55 pm US/Eastern
New Museum To Open In Historical Gettysburg
(KDKA/AP)
Gettysburg's 6,000-acre battlefield is getting easier to navigate.
The National Military Park is opening a new $125 million Museum and Visitor Center in the historical town.
Park officials say they are hoping the new museum will give visitors a better starting point in exploring the expanse dotted with nearly 1,400 memorials and monuments to North America's bloodiest battle.
The 139,000 square foot facility, which is designed to blend in with surrounding farms, has a refreshment saloon, bookstore, and 11 stunning galleries each based on a phrase from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
The complex is a red and gray stone structure reminiscent of a 19th century barn. It covers nearly three football fields near the battlefield where Union armies beat back Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's assault on northern territory, and where Abraham Lincoln delivered his most famous speech.
It is also a showcase for the thousands of artifacts and archival materials collected at Gettysburg.
"It's going to be so powerful for the people who come here for the first time," said Dru Anne Neil, of the Gettysburg Foundation. "If you've never been here before you're going to be able to get it."
In September, the public will also get to see the famous cyclorama painting of 'Pickett's Charge,' which is being restored to its original glory.
More Information: Gettysburg Foundation
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
New Storm May Drop 4-8 Inches Of Snow 33 mins ago 
Snow On Vehicles Causing Problems 45 mins ago
Stumble It!
Comments