New museum at Gettysburg

The old one was small, run down, and oh yeah, built in the middle of the actual battlefield in the 20’s. They’re razing it and restoring the whole battlefield to its Civil War topography.

The new one is 3/4 miles away from the battlefield, has 24,000 square feet of exhibition space, a fully renovated “Battle of Gettysburg” cyclorama, complete with its dioramas for the first time in half a century, and an all-new “Refreshment Saloon” where visitors can experience Civil War-era foods and original recipes.

(Virginia ham and apple pie, apparently. I call that kowtowing. Weevily hardtack and salt pork would have been so much cooler.)

The new digs open on April 14, with a grand opening in September 26 to launch the cyclorama. Read all about it on the Gettysburg National Military Park’s website.