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Will
Chambersburg, PA, USA
Posts: 90
 
 | | Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/19/2010 9:00:19 PM | Since all that remains is a grassy hill and an empty parking lot, it's about time I post these photos (taken May 23, 2008).
Controls of the Electric Map
Controls of the Electric Map
A close up of the Round Tops on the Electric Map
YOU are HERE!, sorry couldn't resist.
One last look at the Electric Map, well maybe not...
Remaining pieces of exhibits in the Museum.
Remaining pieces of exhibits in the Museum.
An empty Gift Shop. Not so crowded here is it?
Electric Map show schedule.
Empty exhibit cases
Empty exhibit cases
Yep, you guessed it, more empty cases.
A few tubes waiting to be moved to their new home.
Ever wonder what the Electric Map looked like underneath it? Well, here is the Peach Orchard.
And Little Round Top.
Must be the High Water Mark.
This map is confusing from below.
Will
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Culp's Hill
Reisterstown, MD, USA
Posts: 241
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/20/2010 12:39:28 AM | Nothing like some fond memories Will! Wow it seems like so long ago that I was in there for the last time. Bittersweet.
CH
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"No tongue can tell, no mind conceive, no pen portray the horrible sights I saw today." Capt. John Taggert 9th PA Reserves 9/17/1862
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Steve F
Hampstead, NH, USA
Posts: 1751
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/20/2010 7:10:02 AM | Yep, good memories of the old place. Loved that bookstore too. They had a great manager! Thanks Will.
Steve
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"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." Gen. John Stark
"I sure wish I lived closer. Have I said that before?" Steve F.
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RaginCajun
Houston, TX, USA
Posts: 29
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/20/2010 7:44:26 AM | The old VC was my initiation to the field. Last time I was in Gettysburg she was still open. I've not been back since. Looking forward to seeing her offspring, the new VC. Alas, just don't know when.
Glen
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Phil Laino
Shoreham, NY, USA
Posts: 194
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/20/2010 10:36:27 AM | Will,
Nostalgic and informative shots.
Thanks for the memories.
Regards,
Phil Laino
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"The cataclysmic nature of the fight and the passion of the human mind to build acceptance and to gain vindication, combined to form a new, inclusive reality." Joseph T. Glatthaar
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ArtBagley
Tampa, FL, USA
Posts: 295
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/20/2010 3:17:37 PM | Not a long post at all, Will. Just some wonderful photos of a long-lost friend. Thanks for posting!
Art "Still Have My First Ticket To The Map [1998]" B.
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TomS
Atlanta, GA, USA
Posts: 277
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/20/2010 4:12:56 PM | I really liked that old dump. It was always the first place I'd stop when I got to town. The new VC, not so much.
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RaginCajun
Houston, TX, USA
Posts: 29
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/21/2010 7:33:02 AM | Maybe Michael can show us a pic of what the area around the old VC looks like now. How about it buddy???
Hard to believe, but it's four years new since I've been to Gettysburg. Some of my fondest memories are of the old VC.
Glen
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SuzyGee
NY, USA
Posts: 479
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/21/2010 10:22:29 AM | Many fond memories of the old VC, whereas I don't have the same enthusiasm for the new VC. There are times when a so-called improvement turns out to be anything but an improvement. Other than better storage and more rest rooms, I can't think of a positive for the new one.
Suzy
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"We are all visionaries, and what we see is our soul in things."
-Henry Amiel (1821-1881)
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Larry Purtell
Little Meadows, PA, USA
Posts: 719
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/21/2010 10:55:51 AM | To me the old VC was Gettysburg. It was homey and served it's purpose well.
Thew vistors center lacks the personal feeling and is far too commercial for my taste. Since the VC was demolished my enthusiasm for Gettyburg is gone as well. A normal year saw 10-12 trips to Gettysburg, now 2-3 is more than enough. Maybe the old VC and the people that really cared for it became obsolete and unwanted at the same. This fall my annual trip South will be to Antietam and Harper's Ferry. Also my donations to the park and the Foundation are finished. I'm sure they won't miss my pittance but it's my way of letting both know that I feel they're doing a lousy job.
Larry
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"My goal is to live forever. So far, so good.
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krtrains
North Point, MD, USA
Posts: 228
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/21/2010 5:52:04 PM | I loved that Map.Thanks for the pictures Will.You gave us a great tour.By the way where did you find the lost memory card?
Thanks
Ken
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artbagley
Tampa, FL, USA
Posts: 295
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/21/2010 9:32:37 PM | Yet another episode of synchronicity strikes me!
Saw Will's pix of the old VC and EM yesterday, printed out a few, then today took a look through my folders of "stuff" gathered during my first of several summer ACW trips, the first being back in 1998, and which included The Burg.
The Gettysburg folder had in it my 9a.m. ticket to the Electric Map on...
JULY 21!!!
Art "Cue the Twilight Zone music" B.
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chuck
Gettysburg, PA, USA
Posts: 667
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/22/2010 8:45:06 AM |
Having worked at both the new and old Visitor Centers and talked with untold thousands in those places, I can attest that 95% of those coming to the battlefield are thrilled with the new facility.
I too have nostalgic feelings for the old place, and do regret that the Electric Map is now in limbo (with some sadness I actually closed the old VC on its final day).
Nevertheless, the old facility was a safety hazard and a fire trap, with inadequate restrooms, no food service, no classrooms. The structure was also an obstruction to understanding the tactical defense of Cemetery Hill. People then typically spent about 30 minutes in the museum, whereas today they wander for two or three hours. They now emerge with a much, much better understanding of the war and of the battle, and usually complete their experience not only well-informed but inspired.
BTW, the new facility has just been recognized for its singular design for energy conservation and environmental sensitivity. It is also an incredibly better facility for staff and visitors alike. My thoughts, anyway.
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"there has been much published about Gettysburg... endeavored to unravel the tangled skein, and state the true story of the battle. Whether this will ever be accomplished is a doubtful point..." James Beale, 1878
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borderstates
Raceland / Lafayette, LA, USA
Posts: 715
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/22/2010 3:44:17 PM | Thanks for the great pictures. I miss the old center. I first met Wayne W on my first tour with him there. I've been introducted (by Chuck) to Troy H there. I've even bumped into a few MHO members there.
However, I am looking forward to my next trip and the new views of CH without the VC blocking it. I enjoy the new center. First time visitors that I've brought there seem to react better to it.
My two cents .. only worth a single penny in today's economy.
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Respectfully yours,
Mike
OUR DEBT TO THE HEROIC MEN AND VALIANT WOMEN IN THE SERVICE
OF OUR COUNTRY CAN NEVER BE REPAID. THEY HAVE EARNED OUR
UNDYING GRATITUDE. AMERICA WILL NEVER FORGET THEIR SACRIFICES.
President Harry S Truman
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john malone
Cochranville, PA, USA
Posts: 973
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/23/2010 2:17:17 PM | I loved the old VC. It had its charm and homey feeling, and the electric map ws always a must. A very down to earth and relaxed feeling to it. Some of the exhibits of weapons and photos were great!
But I love the new VC too. It is a first class facility and the exhibits that take you through the Civil War from beginning to end and the emphasis of the 3 days' battles is excellent. The cyclorama is much better than the old cyclorama. I was there at the end of January and was able to stay inside the cyclorama for about a half hour. I have been inside the classroom in the new VC and see an exhibit on weapons and actually was able to handle a few of the weapons.
John M
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Actions speak louder than words.
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Jared Frederick
The Keystone State, PA, USA
Posts: 1020
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/24/2010 12:51:07 AM | The new VC was greatly needed. Despite the "old time" charm which some found attractive in it, the place came nowhere near the capacity level to accommodate such visitor traffic. The new facility holds a greater number, for a longer period, and tells a more cohesive story of how and why this battle was important. Period. Which serves the greater good? Have three dozen more muskets on display or hosting and introducing several hundred, if not thousands of, additional visitors per day? We buffs cannot assume that fellow citizens can come to appreciate the place like we do, because they not always can. One must make the history relevant, and I'm rather sad to state, the old museum, for as much as I liked it, did not necessarily achieve this. Furthermore, there was next to no hands-on interaction or displays for young people. The slide show programs from 1962 weren't cutting it. After all, I personally believe that younger audiences are ones we must cater to the most. To attain their time and interest, one has to introduce history and its importance via methods which will pull them in.
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See my books and historical artwork at www.historymatters.biz
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Michael Waricher
Carlisle, PA, USA
Posts: 644
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/24/2010 2:14:10 PM | I'm all for the new VC...especially since it seems to keep the tourons wasting hours in there instead of on the field where face it, they just get in the way !! 
I almost never go in the place anymore. No real reason to and that's fine by me. Besides, there's a humongous 6,000 acre interactive display all around the VC...it's called the battlefield !! 
Mike
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prich
Edgemere, MD, USA
Posts: 334
| | Re: Old Vistor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/24/2010 7:52:25 PM | I'm in total agreement with Mike. We spend so much time in GB now that sometimes I wish for the winter just so the crowds will go away.
I think the new VC is perfect for the first time or occasional visitor as it has a great story to tell. And it can tell it to many more people and in a medium that most newer and younger visitors can relate to (interactive displays/computer graphics, etc.). You can see the effect of the new visitor center on the happy tourists having their pictures taken in front of the new sign and/or sitting with Lincoln. I personally laud the creature comforts of a nice clean restroom with multiple stalls, more comfortable seating in the theatres and warm classrooms for those winter seminars.
We also like to check in with the desk to see who's on duty and what programs are running for the day.
Pat
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old juan
Pittsburgh East burb, PA, USA
Posts: 254
| | Re: Old Visitor Center and Electric Map....WARNING: LONG POST | | Posted on: 7/25/2010 12:51:54 PM | The New V.C. has some points against it. I like the location less. It costs money. Not enough time to look over Cyclorama. Book store sells to much cheese. No electric nap. The parking lot stinks.
On the plus side. Much better displays that can be rotated out. I like the movie. The food is expensive but pretty good quality. It does cut down on the crowd on the battlefield.
Question. Do the guides feal they do as well form the new V.C as the old?
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When you come to the fork in the road. Take it!
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