Architects unveiled the design of a new museum and visitor center at Gettysburg National Military Park, where modern, spacious facilities will be concealed in a complex that looks like a cluster of old farm buildings. "The story of Gettysburg is so big, it needs a bigger, better facility," said Chris Rebmann, a Gettysburg resident and president of the Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides. "To have one that blends into the landscape, instead of intruding on it, is going to be wonderful." The public got its first look Friday at a New York architecture firm's plans for the $95 million museum and visitor center. The new complex is to be built less than a mile from the current visitor center, which is near the cemetery where President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. Although it is designed to look like a turn-of-the-century Pennsylvania farm - complete with a stone grain silo and tin-roofed circular barn - the center will house two theaters, a cafeteria, a bookstore, classrooms, interpretive exhibits and other modern amenities. The 45-acre site of the new center was chosen because of its relative lack of significance in the 1863 battle, a turning point in the Civil War. In contrast, the current visitor center is located on Zeigler's Grove on Cemetery Hill - the site of the Confederate assault called Pickett's Charge, which brought the Battle of Gettysburg to its climax. During the battle, the 20th Maine, under Union Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain's direction, drove back Confederate troops who stormed a key hill known as Little Round Top. The engagement was a turning point in the battle, ensuring that the Union line held. The next day, Confederate troops were routed in Pickett's Charge. Chamberlain received the Medal of Honor after the battle. Plans for a new visitor center call for the old building and the Cyclorama Center, which houses a 360-degree panoramic painting of Pickett's Charge, to be demolished after the new museum is completed in about four years. The painting will be restored and displayed in an auditorium in the new facility. Landscape architects and historians also plan to restore the site of Pickett's Charge to its 1863 appearance. Each year, the battle site brings in about 2 million tourists who spend more than $100 million for accommodations, meals, sightseeing and souvenirs. "A new museum won't particularly spike our attendance," said John A. Latschar, superintendent of the park. But he said the new center should give visitors a "better understanding of what went on here." Excerpted from AP article Back to Table of Contents -- ACW Newsletter # 4 Back to ACW Newsletter List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by Marc Shefelton. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com