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March 27, 2009
Gettysburg; How Public-Private Partnership Can Succeed
I have been obsessed with the Civil War since I was six years old, when the nation celebrated the 100th anniversary of the conflict. I grew up four blocks from a gigantic statue of Abraham Lincoln that overlooks the Chicago Historical Society. I passed the statue on the way to school and every time I went to Lincoln Park to play football or baseball. My favorite book was a catalogue of Civil War battles, with troop movements and photos of generals. So perhaps it was destiny but four years ago I joined the board of the Gettysburg National Battlefield Foundation, which was given the mandate by the National Park Service to raise funds and build a new museum. I was unable to attend the official opening of the facility in September but took a day this week to visit. It is everything one could have hoped for, in identifying the causes of the war, describing the progress of the four year conflict, then the uncomfortable aftermath in which African-Americans were gradually deprived of rights as Reconstruction proceeded. The museum is really a tribute to the stubborn determination of two men, Gabor Boritt and Bob Kinsley who believed that the two million visitors to the park each year deserved more than a 50s style map of the battlefield and scattered memorabilia.
Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center
I had dinner the night before my museum visit with Professor Boritt, the director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. Professor Boritt is a Lincoln scholar, often-published and frequently cited as a source on the former President. He spoke eloquently of the Gettysburg Address, how Lincoln in discussing a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” was describing America not as it was but what it should always aspire to be. “He had to tell his constituents the hard truth, that the fighting needed to go on. But he laid out a vision of a new type of freedom, an America worth fighting to create,” said Professor Boritt. “The meaning of the Civil War goes well beyond the conflict; it was a choice of economic system and method of governance.” He went on to talk about his own story, an emigrant from Hungary, having survived the Nazi occupation of his home town, Budapest, then the Russian post-war domination. “The 1956 democracy movement was crushed by Russian tanks; my father told me it was time to leave for America. I took a train to the border, then walked across at night, avoiding the guards. I was sent to the US by the International Rescue Committee, which got me a scholarship to Yankton College in South Dakota. I spoke no English but the people were so kind. I came across a book of Lincoln’s speeches and that was my real introduction to the language.” Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a frequent visitor to Gettysburg, is quoted as saying, “Isn’t it so ironic that it has been a foreign-born man who has to explain the true meaning of the Civil War to Americans.”
The following morning, I saw Bob Kinsley, chairman of the Museum board of directors and owner of a successful private construction company. He told me that he was “hooked by Professor Boritt’s vision of a museum, how it could explain the broader implications of the War to its own citizens and foreign visitors alike.” Kinsley told me that the funding for the facility ultimately came 1/3 from government (federal and state) and 2/3 from the private sector. Major companies such as Boeing and Ford contributed substantial sums to a continuing education center and movie theater. Philanthropists such as Richard Gilder and Lew Lehrman gave substantial sums. We agreed that we were fortunate to have finished the project in September, 2008, given the diminution of personal and foundations’ net worth in the past six months. Kinsley has overseen the building of the Museum as if it were his own home; he has insisted on re-doing the viewing stand for the marvelous 360 degree painting from the 1880s so that viewers get the full effect.
At this difficult time in the economy, it is important to celebrate success stories and to toast those hard-headed individuals who refuse to fail in their self-appointed tasks. If you want to visit the battlefield and the Museum, please send me an email and I will make sure that you have a superb guide, who can make it an unforgettable experience (best way is to ride a horse or a bike!).
Exhibits found inside the museum
Posted by Edelman at March 27, 2009 1:33 PM |
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Comments
Richard, for the past 3 years Gettysburg played host to the start of our AIDS bike ride - 3 days and 275 miles to NYC. We began each year's ride looking over the battlefield. For those of us who arrived the day before, the museum sponsored a bike tour, with a knowledgeable lecturer who answered our every question.
The town has always been welcoming and we will miss it very much!
It felt very appropriate that our ride began at the battlefield, for the AIDS battle continues, now in its 25th year. This year we will move to Boston to begin the ride, adding another 35 miles for a further challenge. And the spirit of battle will continue.
Barry
Posted by: Barry Collodi at March 29, 2009 9:19 AM
My high school AP History trip to Gettysburg was one of the most memorable experiences of my youth.
It's terrific to see what's being done to maintain history in a way that involved both the public and private sectors.
Note: I did see the famous Civil War ghost at Little Round Top. I was eating my lunch on a rock and glanced across the battlefield and saw it.
Posted by: Blagica at March 30, 2009 12:27 PM
Dear Mr. Edelman,
Your executive VP, Cathleen Johnson, brought your blog to my attention and I’m so glad she did. Cathleen is a long time friend and colleague and is on the board of directors of Tourism Cares, a nonprofit whose mission is to preserve the travel experience for future generations. The Edelman organization has been very supportive of our cause for which we are very appreciative.
That having been said, Cathleen brought Gettysburg to our attention a couple of years ago when the Gettysburg Foundation purchased an 82 acre farm on the battlefield, saving it from commercial development. The connection is that Tourism Cares, for the past 7 years has been organizing travel industry give back projects called Tourism Cares for America. These projects have brought tourism professionals from all walks of the industry together to clean up or restore tourism areas in need of care or rejuvenation. Places visited in the past have included New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast (pre and post Katrina), Mt. Vernon, Va and even a tiny mining town called Virginia City, Nevada. These projects complete in one day what it would take attraction staff years to do.
Such will be the case at the George Spangler Farm in Gettysburg on April 17th. I would be honored if you could attend and witness the hard work that volunteers will do for a place that you so dearly care for.
The Gettysburg Foundation, as you point out, did an outstanding job on the Museum and Visitor Center. It and the Cyclorama are spectacular.
Posted by: Bruce Beckham at April 3, 2009 9:43 AM
It is good to see things like this coming together. History is something that must be preserved. I like the fact that a lot of private companies donated to this cause. It just goes to show that good things can happen, even with the economic downturn. Perhaps this will let people know that there is still hope for developers.
Posted by: Austin Sterchi at May 15, 2009 2:29 AM