Gettysburg salutes the opening of the David Wills House museum
Museum part of Lincoln Bicentennial celebration
(Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) - 2/4/2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE �
CONTACT:
Jennifer Roth
Manager
David Wills House
(717) 337-3491, ext. 3
Main Street Gettysburg is partnering with dozens of community organizations to create a six-day celebration for the opening of the David Wills House, Feb. 12-16, in honor of Abraham Lincoln�s 200th birthday.
Events begin with a 2 p.m. ribbon cutting in front of the David Wills House on Feb. 12. The museum will be open that day from noon until 8 p.m., free to all. Other special activities throughout the weekend include storytelling, living history with David and Catherine Wills and President Lincoln, and Victorian valentines will continue through President�s Day, with the museum remaining open for free from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. through Feb. 16.
�So many groups and organizations are coming together to celebrate the opening of the David Wills House, you can�t help but be proud of the spirit of Gettysburg,� said Deb Adamik, Executive Director of Main Street Gettysburg. �This is a wonderful way to move forward with Main Street�s mission of partnering, leading and investing in Gettysburg�s future.�
After a two-year, $7.2 million construction/rehabilitation project, the National Park Service has created � for the first time ever � a museum to tell the story of the aftermath of battle, and Lincoln�s visit to the give the Gettysburg Address. The historic David Wills House is part of Gettysburg National Military Park and will be operated by Main Street Gettysburg through a partnership agreement. In addition, the Gettysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau will operate an official Visitor Information Center and Licensed Town Guides will begin walking tours of Gettysburg at the David Wills House.
Grand Opening exhibits and programs will be held at numerous Gettysburg attractions including the U.S. Christian Commission Museum, 17 on the Square Antiques, the Historic Gettysburg Railroad Station, and the Gettysburg Area School District will hold an art show at the Gettysburg Hotel.
Special tours for the Grand Opening include Licensed Town Guide �Lincoln Walking Tours� departing from the Wills House, Farnsworth House Tours, Gettysburg National Military Park Ranger giving programs in the Soldiers� National Cemetery, restoration tours of the Shriver House, and a Jennie Wade program by Ghostly Images of Gettysburg Tours.
As part of the Grand Opening celebration, special performances and lectures will take place at the Majestic Theater, at the Gettysburg Historic Railroad Station, at 17 on the Square Antiques, and at the David Wills House.
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.
For information about the David Wills House, visit www.davidwillshouse.org or www.gettysburg.travel
VisitPA.com
