Revisiting Gettysburg on the battle's anniversary

"Other activities include ghost tours, though they are not permitted on the battlefield itself because the park service thinks it would be "disrespectful," Lawhon said."

Yeah right. They just haven't figured out how to suck those ghost bucks from the tourists yet.

We read the article on how to tour Gettysburg and were startled to note that of all the ways to tour Gettysburg, the most important was omitted. There was no mention of the services of the Licensed Battlefield Guides at Gettysburg.
These men and women are experts on every aspect of the battle and the battlefield itself and are available to every visitor every day that the Gettysburg National Military Park is open (Tours of the battlefield can even be arranged with individual Guides on holidays like New Year’s Day and Thanksgiving when the visitor center is closed). They have spent years immersing themselves in the study of the battle, the monuments, the buildings, the landscape, the weapons and tactics, the uniforms, the personalities involved, and the history of the Park itself. Many of them are authors and acknowledged experts, and samples and elements of their knowledge are available to the public at the website www.gettysburgdaily.com .
The Licensed Battlefield Guides came into existence in 1915 as an informational and tour service regulated by the U.S. War Department. An examination and licensing process was established, as were uniforms, regulations and ethical practices, and the War Department continued to control the Guides until 1933. The National Park Service was established in 1916 to preserve and maintain and protect America’s National Parks, and when the National Park Service received control of the Gettysburg National Military Park in 1933, they also received oversight of the Guides and continued to safeguard the
traditions established by the War Department and upheld by the Guides themselves.
Currently there are more than 150 Licensed Battlefield Guides who are all private contractors and not in any sense or way employees of the federal government. They conduct more than 22,000 guided tours for thousands of visitors to the Gettysburg Battlefield every year. These tours encompass families, school groups, military groups, civic groups, historians, international visitors, and individuals.
The Licensed Battlefield Guides welcome visitors to the Gettysburg Battlefield and help them understand its history and its physical reminders here. The motto of the Guides, established in 1915, remains:“A Good Battlefield Trip Is the Best Advertisement for Gettysburg.”

This article is pure Katie Krap, as usual. There's very litte Gettysburg in the Visitor Center - it's a major disappointment for anyone who wants to learn about the Battle here. The Wills' House is a sham - a poorly assembled mass of plexiglass and incorrect history. I saw it for free, and it wasn't worth the price. The BEST way to see and know Gettysburg is to tour the Battlefield (preferably with a Licensed Battlefield Guide), and then go into town. Don't waste your money on the overpriced Book/Gift Shop, and don't eat at the Refreshment Saloon - way overpriced and not very good. There's a lot of history in town, and a lot of shops and restaurants.

Ex-tourist wrote: "Yeah right. They just haven't figured out how to suck those ghost bucks from the tourists yet."
They're trying hard to figure it out. Their free lecture this Friday, July 3, at the visitor center is entitled: "Weird Spirits Keep Midnight Watch," by Christ Heisey. You can look it up on the Foundation's website. Whatever it really is about, it is certainly an attempt to entice people to the visitor center with the supernatural. Soon we'll see Foundation/NPS exclusive ghost tours on the battlefield, a monopolistic practice with premium ticket prices. It's ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!

Another whopper from the National Park Service:

"No commercial tours are allowed on the battlefield, she [Katie Lawhon] said, although there are horse trails through the battlefield and riders may bring their own horses or rent horses there from private companies."

Let's count the commercial tours allowed on the battlefield:
1. Gettysburg Tour Center buses (some of which depart
from the new visitor center and tickets for which
are touted by the NPS/Foundation ticket sales
organization)
2. Gettysburg Historic Tours (via Yellowstone buses)
3. Horseback tours (a private business for which
tickets must be purchased - that is commercial)
4. Segway Tours (a tour for which tickets must be
purchased)

In addition to this extensive list of commercial tours now operating on the battlefield, any business with the desire to do so can PURCHASE a limited commercial license for $250.00 which will permit them to conduct tours of the battlefield under terms of the license.
Here's the true story - the Park is not protected from commercialism by the NPS, rather the Foundation/NPS depend on all the commercial activities to provide a stream of income to finance their activities and the Foundation's fat salaries.

Recently visited the NEW Visitor Center. Nice place to get an overview of the happenings. Choose your poison on the overpriced everything. Quite difficult to find a parking spot so folks are visitng. My expectations were not that high, so I was not disappointed. So simply visit or stay away. Wouldn't want anyone to actually have a pleasant experience. Always the negative. Myself, many moons ago, purchased a tape of the battle for self guided auto tour. Very pleasant experience.

Yow said Zippy wrote:

Another whopper from the National Park Service:

I spoke to Katin Lawhon after that article came out and she said that she was misquoted. She told the reporter that commercial _ghost_ tours are not allowed on the battlefield - which is true. The reporter dropped the operative word from that sentence in the article.

Everything isn't a conspiracy.

ex-tourist. you are miserable! every time there is an article about Gettysburg, you're the first to post something rude and inaccurate about our little town. If you dislike Gettysburg so much, please continue to be an ex-tourist...but don't act like you're all knowing about everything related to Gettysburg! It's tiresome.

I enjoyed the new visitors center, while it was a little pricey, you could spend an entire afternoon there seeing all of the things they have in that little place.

it seems like the paper has it out for Lawhon and some other figureheads in Gettysburg, what a shame!

wrong wrong wrong wrote:

This article is pure Katie Krap, as usual. There's very litte Gettysburg in the Visitor Center - it's a major disappointment for anyone who wants to learn about the Battle here. The Wills' House is a sham - a poorly assembled mass of plexiglass and incorrect history. I saw it for free, and it wasn't worth the price. The BEST way to see and know Gettysburg is to tour the Battlefield (preferably with a Licensed Battlefield Guide), and then go into town. Don't waste your money on the overpriced Book/Gift Shop, and don't eat at the Refreshment Saloon - way overpriced and not very good. There's a lot of history in town, and a lot of shops and restaurants.

The visitor center bookstore is not nearly as good as the one eastern parks and Monuments ran at the old center. Aside from the renovated cyclorama, which I enjoyed, I'd say the new VC is a boondoggle.
I remember the day when the Park Service was about preservation
and education, not the touristy glitz evidenced by the new facility.

While I wasn't that impressed with the new visitor center, Gettysburg is a great and wonderful place
where history comes alive and you can almost sense
those terrible days in 1863. One of my favorite places!

tell me somthing new ,old news

I thought the new visitor's center was terrific. What are the specific things you don't like, aside from the prices? We can always complain about prices, and we always do, just as soon as we finish extolling the free enterprise system.

The bookstore does not offer the outstanding selection earlier seen at the old visitor center.
More artifacts were actually on display there.
I'm not saying that I hated the new center, just don't like it as much as the old one.