Gettysburg National Military Park to open David Wills House on Feb. 12, 2009
Lincoln museum opens as part of Lincoln Bicentennial
(Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) - 11/18/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE �
CONTACT:
Deb Adamik
Executive Director
Main Street Gettysburg
(717) 337-3491
Katie Lawhon
Public Affairs Specialist
Gettysburg National Military Park
(717) 334-1124, ext. 3121
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania � November 19, 2008
In honor of Abraham Lincoln�s 200th birthday on Feb. 12, 2009, the David Wills House in Historic Downtown Gettysburg will celebrate its grand opening, offering visitors a world-class museum experience that tells the story of Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address. Grand Opening events will take place from Feb. 12-16, 2009.
David Wills� home was not just the center of Gettysburg � it was the center of the immense clean-up process after the Battle of Gettysburg and where President Lincoln put the finishing touches on the Gettysburg Address. The speech transformed Gettysburg�s community from a place of devastation to the symbol of our nation�s new birth of freedom.
The museum features seven galleries, including two rooms restored to their 1863 appearance: Wills� office as he received letters from families looking for loved ones after the battle and began planning for the cemetery and its dedication; and the bedroom where Lincoln stayed and prepared to deliver the Gettysburg Address.
The museum exhibits will feature original artifacts and two films: �Battle Ground to Hallowed Ground� which explores Cemetery Hill�s transition from a Union army defensive position to the site of the national cemetery; and �A Brief but Immortal Speech� which investigates the meaning of the Gettysburg Address from Nov. 19, 1863, to today.
The immediate neighborhood of the David Wills House comes to life in a three-dimensional diorama that shows 13 surrounding buildings that were standing in 1863 and still stand today, and how each was used in the aftermath of the battle Main Street Gettysburg will operate the museum, as an official partner with Gettysburg National Military Park.
The property is on the National Register of Historic Places. The property was added to the boundary of Gettysburg National Military Park by Congress in October 2000 and is now in the final stages of a $7.2 million project to rehabilitate the building as a historic house museum. The David Wills House operating hours will be Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In spring and fall, the hours will be Tuesdays through Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In summer, the hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week Entrance fees are $6.50 for adults (13 and up); $5.50 for seniors; $4.00 for youth (6-12); and children 5 and under are free.
For group tour reservations, call (866) 486-5735. Main Street Gettysburg is a nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation and economic revitalization of Gettysburg for the benefit of its citizens, businesses and visitors.
The David Wills House is located at 8 Lincoln Square in downtown Gettysburg, Pa. Parking is available in the nearby Race Horse Alley parking garage and shuttle busses will be available from the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center.
For information about the benefits of becoming a David Wills House Charter Guardian, contact Main Street Gettysburg at 866-486-5735 or go to the David Wills House page at the website: www.mainstreetgettysburg.org.
Gettysburg National Military Park is a unit of the National Park Service that preserves and protects the resources associated with the Battle of Gettysburg and the Soldiers� National Cemetery, and provides an understanding of the events that occurred there within the context of American History. Information is available at www.nps.gov/gett.
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