Several years before we left D.C., we spent a long weekend up at Gettysburg National Military Park. At the time, we learned that the National Park Service was going to be building a new, state of the art, visitor center for the park. So when we headed up to Gettysburg recently, I returned to the park to check out the new center and explore the battlefield once more. Additionally, we spent a day in York, Pennsylvania, visiting one of Kevin’s friends from high school and learning about the revitalization efforts that are going on in that city.

Gettysburg National Military Park

The new visitor center is beautiful. It’s huge and bright and well thought out. Visitors have several options for how to spend their day. I chose to watch the introductory movie, which is paired with a visit to the Gettysburg cyclorama, and visit the museum. The cyclorama is a massive 360 degree mural/painting that depicts the battle. Visitors stand in the center of the painting while a voice-over describes what happened during the course of the 3 day battle, and special sound and light effects are used to animate the painting.

Apparently, cycloramas were a popular form of entertainment in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. They were basically an early version of motion pictures, and there is an exhibit about their production and their popularity at the visitor center. The Gettysburg cyclorama was painted in 1884 by a French artist and was on display in Boston for several years before finding its permanent home at Gettysburg National Park. It was restored in 2008 as part of the new visitor center project.

Advertisement for Gettysburg cyclorama from early 1900's.
An advertisement for the Gettysburg cyclorama when it was displayed in Boston in the early 1900’s.

As for the museum, there are exhibits on everything from the timeline of the Civil War, to individuals involved in the battle at Gettysburg, to the history of the flags that were flown… It is comprehensive and one could easily spend hours wandering through it.

Collage of photos showing exhibits at Gettysburg Museum

Exhibit showing hundreds of photographs of civil war soldiers at Gettysburg Museum
This is a small portion of a very large wall capturing some of the human costs of the battle….

Unfortunately, the day I was there, there were several school groups and some of the kids were just awful. Think: “Lord of the Flies,” but less well behaved. They were running through the hallways, touching exhibits, climbing walls…and there were no chaperones anywhere. It was pretty appalling. Anyway, it got old quick and it was a beautiful day outside, so I grabbed a map and headed out for the peaceful battleground (I realize it’s weird to call a battleground “peaceful,” but these kids were seriously assholes.)

As with most national parks we’ve visited, the National Park Service does a fantastic job of preserving the property. The grounds are meticulously maintained, but everything looks natural and authentic.

The buildings look appropriately weathered, but not dilapidated.

Barn surrounded by fields at Gettysburg National Park

The fields are landscaped, but not so much so that they look fake.

Fence and fields in Gettysburg National Military Park

The statues, cannon, and signage are present, but they don’t interrupt the views.

Two canon surrounding a monument at Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

And when they do stand out, they tell an important part of the story.

Statue at Little Round Top in Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Statue of cavalry soldier at Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Walking around the battlefields, it feels like you’ve stepped back in time and you can easily imagine the events unfolding where you stand. On the other hand, it is hard to fathom so much carnage and misery taking place in such a beautiful place.

Countryside in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Soldiers’ National Cemetery

After the battle, the people who lived in the town of Gettysburg were overwhelmed by the dead and the sick. Thousands of bodies were buried in the fields, in mass graves, many of which were too shallow. Weeks later, leaders from the northern states formed a committee to give the soldiers a proper burial. The committee purchased land near the battlefield and began the process of unearthing the bodies and moving them to the cemetery. Thousands of soldiers could be identified only by the state from which they came, while thousands more could not be identified at all.

Plaque and grave markers at Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

For several weeks following the battle, the bodies were moved to what became known as Soldier’s National Cemetery. The dedication of the cemetery, in November, 1863, brought Abraham Lincoln to the town where he gave his famous speech.

Plaque and grave markers at Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Some section markers just show the number of unknown soldiers buried in that section, others show the state which those soldiers were from. Each of the small white stones has a number on it to represent an individual grave.
Monument to Abraham Lincoln at Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Monument honoring President Lincoln’s speech

The land surrounding the original Civil War cemetery was used as a military cemetery until the 1970’s, when it was officially closed.

Headstones noting service in World War II at Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

York, Pennsylvania

“Where the hell is everyone?” I asked Kevin as we drove into York, Pennsylvania one weekend morning. It was midday on a beautiful spring day and as we drove along pretty landscaped streets on our way to meet Kevin’s friend, Jen, the absence of people out and about in the city was painfully obvious.

Storefronts in York, Pennsylvania

Empty sidewalks in York, Pennsylvania

York, Pennsylvania, located thirty five miles east of Gettysburg looks like any number of small cities we’ve visited this year. The buildings, many of which date from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, feature beautiful brick work and interesting architecture, the streets are nicely maintained, there are planters full of flowers, park benches placed along the sidewalks, and pretty murals painted on the walls.

Central Market House, York Pennsylvania.

Large mural painted on building

Storefronts in York, Pennsylvania

The place should have been buzzing with activity on a Sunday morning, and yet, it was dead… there was no one around!

Lightly traveled sidewalks in York, Pennsylvania.

Jen’s husband, Jordan, is a restaurant owner in the city. He and Jen are both heavily involved in revitalization efforts in the downtown area, so it was interesting to hear their perspective on what we had noticed. They explained that while plenty of people work downtown during the week, once the weekend rolls around, the city empties out because there are very few businesses to attract people. As Jordan said, “there are no people because there are no businesses. And there are no businesses, because there are no people.”

Sure enough, as we walked around after lunch, we could see there were very few businesses actually open. While, from the outside, the neighborhood looked well maintained and the buildings appeared to be in decent condition, on closer examination, we saw that many, if not most, of the storefronts were empty. The stores that did exist appeared to be struggling, and apartments, which would have rented for thousands and thousands of dollars per month in other cities, stood vacant.

Collage of photos showing empty storefronts in York, Pennsylvania

For years, York was run down, crime ridden, and generally unappealing. In the past several years though, local leaders and business owners have been working hard to improve the city’s fortunes. Small business owners like Jen and Jordan are opening new shops, and larger investors are actively working on several big revitalization projects. They’re obviously making good progress. They just need more people to move into the city and hang out on weekends.

Assuming that eventually happens, this city could be the next hipster heaven. We’ve no doubt if these same city blocks were magically transported to other cities we’ve visited, they’d be full of cutting edge restaurants, packed bars, trendy shops, and renovated apartments.

Old theater in York, Pennsylvania

Storefronts in York, Pennsylvania

I hope it all comes together because right now, the potential is incredible, and if I were a betting woman, I’d say the people who own these buildings are gonna make a killing in a couple years.

Bonus Random Farm Animal Pics!

Finally, it was kinda awesome that our campground in Gettysburg had a working farm, and we could go visit the animals. And yes, I realize this is actually an attraction for 6 years olds, but I don’t care. Animals are THE BEST!! Of course, when we visited (several times), I took lots of pictures. Then I wondered what the hell I was gonna do with all these random pictures of farm animals. That’s where you come in….

Apparently, the grass really IS greener on the other side of the fence…. (I know… I know…)

There were also lots of goats, but they were usually running amok outside their enclosure, so I never got a photo….

Anyway, in real time, we will start the week in Vermont and end it in Maine. Given all the maple syrup and cheese we’ve consumed, it’s probably for the best that we head to a state whose specialty is seafood. More on Vermont soon….

Where we stayed: Gettysburg Farm Campground

12 COMMENTS

  1. Great post and pics! We’ve talked about going to Gettysburg. Definitely love the farm animals, lol! They are adorable! Glad you are back in New England 🙂

    • I think you guys would definitely enjoy Gettysburg. The town itself is really cool too. Some pretty neat old taverns and cute shops, etc. There are some great B&B’s in the area as well. A really nice long weekend getaway (and really not all that far from you guys…) Definitely add it to your list!

  2. I can’t wait until we get to Gettysburg. Visiting these historical places make it so much more real than learning about them in school. Great post. Safe travels. Dawn

    • If you really want to learn the details of what happened, look into doing one of the tours. A professional guide drives you around the battlefield and explains everything that happened from the various locations. I overheard part of one such tour and it definitely sounded interesting. They also have larger group tours, but obviously, those will be less detailed.

  3. Check out Downtown Harrisburg or Lancaster next time you come through town.
    In fact, let us know you’re coming and my wife and I will show you around.
    We live just outside Harrisburg in Lewisberry, Pa, 36la owners, and proud owner of my tiger shirt……
    Safe travels

    • Oh man, I wish I knew you guys were right there! We’d love to meet up and compare notes. You and Kevin can both wear your terrible tiger shirts together! (I swear, he loves that thing more than he loves me….). 🙂 Anyway, we’ll keep it in mind for next time we’re in the neighborhood!! I expect we’ll be traveling through Pennsylvania quite often over the next couple years.

  4. What?? No goats?! You know how I love goats. 🙂 I’d be right there with you hanging out with the farm critters. Too bad about those awful kids in the museum. And no chaperones? That’s ridiculous. I’d be the cranky lady complaining about them to the staff, LOL.

    • I’m telling you, goats are the best! They’re hilarious! Every time we were over there, they were out of their enclosure just doing whatever they felt like. There are apparently no rules for goats!

  5. The cyclorama is a fascinating show, its amazing how old technology still can withstand on its own in telling an incredible story. We got to the VC very very early before it opened for it so happened we were there on its 150th anniversary. Our trip in the east was history laden and a visit to Gettysburg was sobering.
    This is the first time I have seen a post about a city with no people walking around, really strange!

    • The east coast is definitely a history fan’s dream, no question. We’ve been to a ton of historical sites and museums, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. There is just so much to see and only so many hours in a day to see it all. One thing I would still like to catch is a civil war reenactment. I was hoping there would be something the week we were at Gettysburg, but unfortunately there wasn’t. I’ll keep looking though. I think that would be a fascinating thing to experience.

  6. Great post! We lived in the DC area, and sadly never made it to Gettysburg. I’m putting it on my list for our trip up next year. If you ever make it to Georgia, you should check out the Andersonville National Historic Site which was a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the final twelve months of the American Civil War. It is also home to the National Prisoner of War camp. It provides information about POW experiences throughout US history, but the most elaborate presentation is about Americans captured in the Vietnam War.

    • Wow, thanks for the info. I’ve never heard of this place before. We were only in Georgia very briefly (Savannah) last winter. I expect we’ll be back at some point to really explore. I’ll definitely add this place to our list. It sounds really interesting. And you should definitely try to make it to Gettysburg. There is a lot of fascinating stuff there and you could easily spend several days exploring not only the battlefield and museum, but the town itself. It’s a great area.

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