Celebrate the Lincoln Bicentennial in Gettysburg
Historic town is where 16th president secured his legacy
(Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) - 2/4/2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE �
CONTACT:
Carl Whitehill
Media Relations Manager
Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
(717) 338-1055
President Abraham Lincoln�s stop in Gettysburg was short � only about 24 hours.
But that visit � to help dedicate the Soldiers� National Cemetery � would prove to be Lincoln�s most powerful moment, one in which the president reminded this divided nation of our forefather�s dreams and set the country on a new course of hope.
The Gettysburg Address is known worldwide and those 10 sentences were delivered on the very hallowed ground that four months earlier was soaked with the blood of American soldiers.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of Lincoln�s birth � the Lincoln Bicentennial. Cities across the United States will pay tribute to the popular president throughout the year. Gettysburg, as the site of that immortal speech, will play a big part in that celebration.
In just days, the National Park Service in cooperation with Main Street Gettysburg, will open the David Wills House as a museum dedicated to the aftermath of the battle, Abraham Lincoln and his visit to Gettysburg to deliver the Gettysburg Address. He not only stayed at the David Wills House on the night on Nov. 18, 1863; he put the finishing touches on his speech in the second-floor bedroom that night.
Starting Feb. 12, visitors can share that experience at the David Wills House and learn why Lincoln�s visit was so monumental in the history of the United States. While there, take a tour of Downtown Gettysburg with a Licensed Town Guide, available in the Wills House lobby.
Visit the Gettysburg Train Station where Lincoln arrived before a small crowd and made his way up to the town square where he was to sleep that night. Or walk the Soldiers� National Cemetery where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. Several monuments stand in the cemetery as memorials to that day.
In late November, Gettysburg and the rest of the nation will remember Lincoln�s shining moment � that short speech delivered in this small town still ravaged by war.
On Nov. 19, 2009, we will hear those words again as dignitaries from around the country will join thousands of Americans in remembering the Gettysburg Address. Two days later � on Nov. 21, Gettysburg will celebrate Remembrance Day, a day which includes a parade of thousands of re-enactors and capped off with a somber Illumination in the Soldiers� National Cemetery.
Join us this year as we pay tribute to one of the country�s most beloved presidents, Abraham Lincoln.
For more information, call (800) 337-5015 or visit www.gettysburg.travel.
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