Gettysburg Foundation
ABOUT
The Gettysburg Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit philanthropic, educational organization that operates in partnership with the National Park Service to preserve Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site, and to educate the public about their significance.
Together with the National Park Service, the Gettysburg Foundation seeks to preserve and protect the resources associated with the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg and share its important story of conflict, courage, and remembrance with the roughly one million visitors each year.
The Foundation hopes to broaden the Gettysburg narrative and reach more people and audiences by operating and providing educational programming at the George Spangler Farm and Field Hospital Site, the Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station, and the Children of Gettysburg 1863 Museum.
HISTORY
Gettysburg National Military Park was established by Congress on February 11, 1895, to commemorate arguably the most significant battle in American history. It was here that General Robert E. Lee and his Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was defeated by Union forces under General George Meade, turning the tide of the Civil War.
The idea of preserving battlefield lands started in 1864 with the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, a veteran’s group dedicated to commemorating what happened on that hallowed ground. By May 1887, there were 90 regimental and battery monuments on the battlefield. Today, the Park has 1,320 monuments, 148 historic buildings, 410 cannons, and 41 miles of roads and pathways winding throughout the battlefield.
The Gettysburg Foundation has a rich 33-year history of land and monument preservation, educational programming, battlefield rehabilitation, and artifact acquisition at the battlefield. The Foundation raised the money, built (2008), owns, and operates the 139,000 square-foot Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center (MVC), a world-class, LEED Gold-certified facility telling the story of the Battle of Gettysburg and the broader Civil War.
This outstanding facility houses over 40,000 artifacts from that historic era, a great film calledA New Birth of Freedom,and the iconic Gettysburg Cyclorama, painted in 1884, vividly depicting Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863.
GRANT PROJECT
The Americana Corner Preserving America grant awarded to the Gettysburg Foundation helped to fund the Children of Gettysburg 1863 permanent exhibit. Children of Gettysburg 1863 is the only experience in Gettysburg designed specifically for children (specifically grades K-5). It was developed by a team of historians, museum design professionals, and educators and opened in September 2021.
Visitors are guided by museum staff and volunteers through six galleries of activities that showcase what life was like for children who experienced the Battle of Gettysburg. The activities are hands-on and interactive, creating both an educational and fun opportunity for children. In addition to the permanent galleries, there is a robust schedule of age-appropriate activities throughout the year. These include but are not limited to living history encampment, historic fiber arts making sessions, story times, map making classes, and Victorian-era fashion shows.
Perhaps most importantly, the Gettysburg Foundation hopes to engage the next generation by sparking a life-long interest in history in every child who comes through the museum’s galleries or attends an event.
Americana Corner is proud to assist the Gettysburg Foundation with its mission to preserve the Great American Story and to help our fellow citizens grow their love of country.
