Antietam National Battlefield Proposes Improvements To Trails

By NPT Staff on April 24th, 2018
National Parks Traveler

Antietam National Battlefield staff are studying ways to make the park's trails system more informative in terms of understanding the Civil War battle that took place there.

Staff areproposing to reposition certain tour stops and developing a comprehensive trail system. "By improving the trail system and relocating some of the tour stops, the National Park Service will provide visitors with a more comprehensive understanding of this significant battle and its lasting legacy, while better protecting and preserving park resources," a park release said.

You can learn about the proposal, and comment on it through May 23, at this site.

The new system is intended to better integrate the land that the park has acquired since 1992, which has nearly doubled the park’s acreage. The plan includes reconfiguring some existing trails to improve visitor access, creating walking loops around key historic areas such as the Sunken Road and Miller Cornfield, and developing a perimeter trail around the entire battlefield.

The plan will also amend the battlefield’s 1992 general management plan to preserve its historic visitor center and commemorative-era tour roads. While drafting the plan, the NPS incorporated significant feedback from both visitors and stakeholders.

Manassas National Battlefield Park Prescribed Burn Improves Habitat, Restores Civil War Look

The following story is from
 National Parks Traveler 

Better wildlife habitat, and a look reflective of how the Brawner Farm area of Manassas National Battlefield Park appeared during the Civil War, was achieved through a prescribed fire set by park firefighters.

Firefighters last week burned approximately 60 acres of meadow and brush to maintain the landscape as it appeared during the Civil War, reduce the chance of wildfire, and improve habitat for wildlife, including Northern bobwhite and American woodcock.

This was the first prescribed fire in the park’s history, and the first prescribed fire on National Park Service property in Prince William County, Virgina. To ensure a safe and effective operation, the team had to wait for ideal weather conditions. An earlier scheduled burn was delayed because the soil was too wet.

“Our team was excited to complete the park’s first prescribed fire safely and successfully,” Manassas Superintendent Brandon Bies said. “We are eager to see the results, including better views and more wildlife habitat.”

Twenty-nine staff from 11 national parks in Virginia, Maryland, District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania helped with the fire. The staff primarily used hand tools to ignite and control the fire, with assistance from four engines and three utility task vehicles.

Before the prescribed fire, park staff surveyed the area for Civil War artifacts and wildlife.

The Park Service acquired the Brawner Farm in 1985. At the time, much of the property had grown over with trees. Subsequently, the trees were cleared, restoring the historic sight lines present during the battles at Manassas in 1861 and 1862. Because of the difficulty mowing in the rocky and uneven terrain, fire is an effective way to reduce woody plant growth and to maintain the meadow ecosystem.

In August 1862, the Brawner Farm was at the center of the Confederate lines at the opening of the Battle of Second Manassas (Second Bull Run). The battle saw action from well-known units on both sides of the Civil War, pitting the Confederates’ “Stonewall Brigade” against the Federals’ “Iron Brigade.” The Confederates won the battle.

Prescribed Fires on the Gettysburg Battlefield will take place April 13 and 14

Prescribed fires on the Gettysburg battlefield will take place April 13 and 14

Gettysburg, Pa. (April 10, 2017) – Conditions are right for the National Park Service to conduct a prescribed fire on 215 acres between Devils Den and South Confederate Avenue this Friday and Saturday at Gettysburg National Military Park. If conditions remain unchanged the prescribed fire on half of the burn unit will be April 13 with the second half on April 14.

Temporary Closures: On Friday, South Confederate Avenue and Sickles Avenue will be closed beginning at 6 a.m. On Saturday, only South Confederate Avenue will be closed. Devils Den, including all pedestrian access, will be closed Friday.  All pedestrian and horse trails within the burn unit, as well as the hiking trails on Big Round Top will be closed both days.  The picnic area along South Confederate Avenue will also be closed both days.

The public may view the prescribed fire from the Snyder farm house at West Confederate Avenue and Emmitsburg Road (parking along West Confederate Avenue), or from Little Round Top. No stopping of vehicles along Emmitsburg Road for viewing the fire will be permitted.

Additional roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily if smoke conditions reduce visibility to a level that would require a temporary closure of limited areas to ensure public and firefighter safety. 

More information including maps of the burn unit is available at https://www.nps.gov/gett/learn/news/prescribed-fires.htm. Up-to-date information on this and any other closures and fire activity will be posted on the park's social media sites, using the hashtag, #GettysburgNPS

CIVIL WAR COMMEMORATIVE SIGN TO BE INSTALLED AT PHILADELPHIA NATIONAL CEMETERY on APRIL 21

CIVIL WAR COMMEMORATIVE SIGN TO BE INSTALLED AT PHILADELPHIA NATIONAL CEMETERY -  an event to unveil a memorial for the United States Colored Troops of the Civil War

APRIL 4, 2018;  PHILADELPHIA, PA – On Saturday April 21, 2018, at 11am, a new Civil War commemoration will be unveiled at Philadelphia National Cemetery, dedicated to the United States Colored Troops (USCT) buried there.

Erected by the Veterans Administration, the new sign celebrates the achievements of the USCT, nearby Camp William Penn, and those who died, whether of disease or battle wounds, or who enjoyed post-war lives.

The Mütter Museum of medical history is co-sponsoring the dedication ceremony of the interpretive sign as the latest in a series of annual events commemorating the medical dimension of the Civil War. These events augment the exhibition, Broken Bodies, Suffering Spirits: Injury, Death, and Healing in Civil War Philadelphia. The exhibition, which opened in 2013 and closes in late 2019, highlights stories and experiences of a white soldier, black soldier, physician, and female nurse, framed by the words of poet Walt Whitman.

“Across the country, people are questioning the presence of statues and monuments to soldiers of the Civil War, but in Philadelphia, a new memorial will be dedicated at Philadelphia National Cemetery. Of all the monuments and statues to Civil War generals and soldiers in the City of Philadelphia, none recognizes the achievements of the black soldiers who, according to President Abraham Lincoln, were essential to saving the Union,” says Director of the Mütter Museum, Robert D. Hicks, Ph.D., who will participate in the ceremony.

Hicks adds that “Black soldiers experienced higher mortality due to disease than white troops during the war, and doctors—usually white—struggled to understand how black bodies differed from white ones. The data collected on the health and performance of black soldiers constituted the first public health record of African Americans in the United States.”

“Many of the USC Troops buried in the cemetery were trained at nearby Camp William Penn, the first and largest federal training camp for black soldiers in what is now Cheltenham Township,” says Joyce Werkman, President, Citizens for the Restoration of Historical La Mott (CROHL), co-sponsor of the dedication event. The village of La Mott is located in the area once occupied by the training camp. CROHL operates the Camp William Penn Museum, open seasonally.

The unveiling ceremony will include music, the presentation of wreaths, USCT re-enactors, and light refreshments. Speakers include Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Dwight Evans, Congressman (PA-02nd District), and Charles L. Blockson, Curator Emeritus of Temple University’s Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection.

The event is free and open to the public, beginning at 11am on Saturday, April 21 (rain date: May 5).

Location: Philadelphia National Cemetery, 6909 Limekiln Pike (entrance at Haines Street and Limekiln Pike), Philadelphia, PA 19138 (https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/philadelphia.asp)

U.S. Grant: The Vicksburg Campaign at the Southern Lehigh Library

U.S. GRANT: THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN

MONDAY, MAY 14 AT 7 PM

Co-sponsored by SLPL and Civil War Roundtable of Eastern PA

SLPL and Civil War Roundtable of Eastern Pennsylvania are proud to present Kenneth J. Serfass, a USMC Veteran and long time Civil War reenactor, as General U.S. Grant. Ken has been a student of Grant all his life. He has appeared nationally on television and film and has been featured at numerous speaking engagements.
Use this link to register

Chris Stein Arrives as Acting Superintendent at Gettysburg NMP and Eisenhower NHS

Chris Stein Arrives as Acting Superintendent at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site

Chris Stein has arrived as the acting superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site. He will serve in this position until mid-July 2018.

Stein currently serves as Chief of Heritage Areas and Partnerships in the National Park Service Midwest Region and previously served as Superintendent at St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, National Park of Samoa, Nez Perce National Historical Park (acting) and held a number of other key leadership roles within the NPS.

"I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve as acting superintendent for Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site for the next few months," said Stein. "My goals during my time here include nurturing and building relationships of mutual benefit with partners, and continuing to provide opportunities for residents, visitors, and volunteers to help care for, protect and interpret park resources."

Stein is known for his skill in building public and private partnerships to assist the Park Service in its work. Among his recent initiatives is the Monarch Corridor project, designed to reverse a steep decline of monarch butterflies in the 8000-square-mile St. Croix riverway. The initiative includes potentially hundreds of partnerships with major companies such as Andersen Corporation and with cities, counties, service clubs and individuals.

Gettysburg National Military Park preserves, protects and interprets for this and future generations the resources associated with the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, during the American Civil War, the Soldiers' National Cemetery, and their commemorations. Learn more at www.nps.gov/gett

Eisenhower National Historic Site preserves and interprets the home and farms of the Eisenhower family as a fitting and enduring memorial to the life, work, and times of General Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, and to the events of far-reaching importance that occurred on the property.  Learn more at www.nps.gov/eise

FBI at site where Civil War gold rumored to be buried

In this March 13, 2018 photo, FBI agents and representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources set up a base off Route 555 in Benezette Township, Elk County, Pa., at a site where treasure hunters say Civil War-era gold is buried. (Katie Weidenboerner / AP)

FBI at site where Civil War gold rumored to be buried
MICHAEL RUBINKAM AP
Published Morning Call March 16
 
A 155-year-old legend about buried federal gold appears to have caught the attention of the FBI.

Dozens of FBI agents, along with Pennsylvania state officials and members of a treasure-hunting group, trekked this week to a remote site where local lore has it that a Civil War gold shipment was lost or hidden during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg.

The treasure-hunting group Finders Keepers has long insisted it found the gold buried in a state forest at Dents Run, about 135 miles (217 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, but said the state wouldn't allow it to dig.

The FBI has refused to say why it was at the site Tuesday, revealing only that it was conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity. Finders Keepers owner Dennis Parada said Friday he's under FBI orders not to talk.

Historians have cast doubt on the claim that a shipment of gold was lost on its way to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.

Depending on who's doing the telling, the shipment had either 26 gold bars or 52 bars, each weighing 50 pounds (23 kilograms), meaning it would be worth about $27 million or about $55 million today.

In an older post on the Finders Keepers website, Parada said his group found the likely burial site using a high-powered metal detector. But he said the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has refused to allow the group to dig.

A department spokesman said Friday that the group previously asked to excavate the site but elected not to pay a required $15,000 bond. The spokesman referred comment on Tuesday's activity to the FBI.
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A follow up story on March 19th reported: "FBI comes up empty at site of legendary Civil War gold"

New Eisenhower Exhibit at Gettysburg NMP Museum

New Eisenhower Exhibit Opened March 8
at Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center

 Gettysburg, PA (March 6, 2018) – The Gettysburg Foundation and Eisenhower National Historic Site are pleased to announce the debut of an exciting new exhibit on March 8 featuring a variety of objects from the Eisenhower National Historic Site’s museum collection. The exhibit, titled Eisenhower’s Leadership from Camp Colt to D-Day, provides a look at two pivotal events in the military career of Dwight David Eisenhower.

During the First World War, Captain Eisenhower arrived in Gettysburg in March 1918 to organize and lead Camp Colt, a training ground for the Army’s new Tank Corps. Set upon the hallowed Gettysburg battlefield, Eisenhower’s men lacked the proper equipment for training and struggled against the Spanish flu. Eisenhower overcame these difficulties, and at Camp Colt, a leader emerged.

Twenty-six years later, General Eisenhower found himself in a position of much greater responsibility. On June 6, 1944, as the supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, Eisenhower oversaw the invasion of Nazi-occupied France via the beaches of Normandy. The largest amphibious landing in history was a success and paved the way for the Allied liberation of Western Europe. Eisenhower’s leadership shone again in the Second World War.

Highlights of the Exhibit Spotlight include equipment issued to an officer at Camp Colt who volunteered for the Tank Corps, “dog tags” of an enlisted man at the camp that survived the Spanish flu pandemic, the Army-issued cigarette lighter carried by General Eisenhower throughout World War II, and a piece of barbed wire from the German defenses at Point du Hoc. 

Free and open to the public, the exhibit runs through 2018, and is the newest display of artifacts within this specific area of the Museum and Visitor Center. The Exhibit Spotlight gallery annually features a new theme and rotation of artifacts that connect soldiers, civilians and generals to places on the Gettysburg battlefield. Visitors have the opportunity to follow the journey of the person featured in the exhibit through their Gettysburg experience—watching the story unfold as they explore the connections found in both the Museum and Visitor Center and on the battlefield.

Planning is underway for future Eisenhower exhibits, made possible by the Tawani Foundation/Pritzker Military Foundation.

Gettysburg Battlefield Marathon Organizers Denied Permit

Gettysburg Battlefield Marathon Organizers Denied Permit

By Kurt Repanshek on March 9th, 2018
from National Park Travelers

Is it appropriate to stage a marathon at a Civil War battlefield site, or is the hallowed setting the wrong place for runners and cheering? That question has surfaced this week as the organizers of the Gettysburg Battlefield Marathon say the National Park Service has denied their request for a permit to stage this year's race.

"We officially learned Monday the National Park Service will not be approving our permit application as submitted," race organizers Alex Hayes wrote on the marathon's Facebook page. "They have some concerns about the appropriateness of running a marathon on hallowed ground and supporters cheering at places designed for moments of solemn reflection.

"We have mixed feelings about this. We certainly respect the National Park Service’s views in 2018, but are frustrated because the park approached us in 2016 to organize the marathon," they added. "There is new leadership at the park. They have the right to disagree with their predecessors."

Gettysburg National Military Park spokeswoman Katie Lawhon said Thursday that the park did encourage the marathon for 2016 as part of the National Park Service's centennial celebration. While the race returned in 2017, she said park staff decided that the route that was being used was not appropriate for the race.

Concerns voiced by both park staff and Gettysburg visitors, said Ms. Lawhon, concerned "(T)he footprint of the event, so to speak, and the spectators. Water stations and where there were spectators cheering and clapping for hours on end. Those impacts on places, very meaningful places for park visitors” had become an issue.

A central part of the mission of the miliary park, she explained, is to provide visitors with an opportunity to reflect on the soldiers who fell at Gettysburg, and the consequences the battle had on the nation.

"It’s very hard to pair that with what was physically happening here during the marathon," said Ms. Lawhon.

While the marathon in its first two years utilized roads that in some cases literally maked lines of battle and went past "places like Little Round Top and other places where there were major battles," park officials did offer race organizers the use of other park roads that were not so closely aligned with actual battles for this year's race, she said.

“We’re trying to find a way to reduce some of the impacts. If the marathon can still happen or not, it’s up to the organizers," said Ms. Lawhon.

The question of an event's appropriateness in a national park setting is not a new one. Not too many years ago there was a dispute over whether a professional bike race could go through Colorado National Monument. While then-National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis denied that request, there was no opposition when a portion of a professional bike race in Utah went through a sliver of Bryce Canyon National Park, albeit on a state highway.

And for the Park Service centennial, the Tour of Utah bike race was allowed to pedal, not race, through Zion National Park, a move that drew concern from the National Parks Conservation Association.

Gettysburg National Military Park plans prescribed fires in late March or April

Gettysburg National Military Park plans prescribed fires in the southern portion of the battlefield in late March or April

Gettysburg, Pa.  – Gettysburg National Military Park fire managers are preparing for a prescribed fire on two days from late March to late April, weather permitting. The plans call for burning portions of a 215 acre burn unit between Devil’s Den and South Confederate Avenue.  Fuel and weather conditions must be within certain parameters and that will determine the exact date for each of the one-day operations.

Prescribed fires allow fire managers to conduct a safe burn under optimal conditions with sufficient resources available to meet specific objectives for the management of battlefield resources. Gettysburg’s overall objectives are to maintain the conditions of the battlefield as experienced by the soldiers who fought here; perpetuate the open space character of the landscape; maintain wildlife habitat; control exotic invasive species; reduce shrub and woody species components; and reduce fuels in wooded areas to reduce fire hazard.

Temporary Road Closures Planned: During the prescribed fire, multiple roads will likely be closed for portions of the day including South Confederate Avenue, and Sickles Avenue at Devil’s Den.  Closures may last two or three days. Pedestrian and equestrian trails located within the burn area will also be closed. 

Additional roads, trails and areas may be closed temporarily if smoke conditions reduce visibility to a level that would cause visibility problems and public and firefighter safety concerns. Up-to-date information on this and any other closures and fire activity will be posted on the park's website, www.nps.gov/gett, and social media sites, using the hashtag, #GettysburgNPS.

The timing of the prescribed fire is dependent on conditions being within required weather parameters such as wind, temperature, and relative humidity. The prescribed fire will be conducted from approximately late morning through the afternoon, followed by patrol and monitoring to ensure the fire is completely out.  

A combination of lawn-sprinklers, hoses, mowed lines, and fire engines will be used to create a buffer and fire break to protect monuments and other cultural resources in the burn area.  National Park Service staff will monitor air quality and smoke impacts as well as visibility on nearby roads. 

More information including maps of the project areas and the park’s Fire Management Plan can be viewed on the park website, www.nps.gov/gett/getinvolved/planning.htm.

Gettysburg National Military Park preserves, protects and interprets for this and future generations the resources associated with the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, during the American Civil War, the Soldiers' National Cemetery, and their commemorations.