The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College (technically my employers) and the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission have me working on two projects as of late. My part in each is extremely dull, although what I'm contributing is important because when the projects are finished they are both going to be impressive.
Project number one involves a database of libraries in Pennsylvania. My job is to go through the spreadsheet of the database, separate the first and last name fields, and then go into the .pdf file and copy-paste email addresses. Fun stuff, lemme tell you. Big-picture-wise, the database is being created so that every library in Pennsylvania can be contacted and asked what kind of Lincoln-related holdings they have so that a website can be created with every single Lincoln-related text/artifact held by Pennsylvania libraries.
Project number two involves a database of Pennsylvania Civil War newspapers on the Penn State Libraries site. I am assigned Philadelphia, so I do searches for mentions of Abraham Lincoln in the Philadelphia newspapers included in the database. I enter every hit into a spreadsheet and save the page of the newspaper as a .pdf file. Later on every article will be sorted through and some will be disposed of. Once all of that is completed, the articles will be used in order to create a sort of Google Earth of 1860s Pennsylvania with Lincoln's whereabouts marked. I think it will wind up being quite interesting.
It takes a lot of patience to do these things. I am finding it hard to stay motivated. I finished about 150 for the first project today (I still have a couple hundred to go) and only about 10 articles for the second project (I have hundreds and hundreds more to go through). Hopefully my motivation levels will increase over time.
Showing posts with label gettysburg historic train station. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gettysburg historic train station. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The Last Civil War Veteran
Currently I am at the station, where preparations for the Gettysburg Festival are being made. Late paintings of the late Larry Rivers are hanging on our walls. Some of them are gorgeous, leading me to a Google search, leading me to this (somewhat disturbing) sketch he did of Edwin Denby, claimed to be the last Civil War veteran.
EDIT: It was brought to my attention that this is actually not the case. Please read the comments for more details.
EDIT: It was brought to my attention that this is actually not the case. Please read the comments for more details.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Ch-ch-ch-changes?
Gettysburg train station promised to park service.
I love how no one has told any of the people who actually run the station about any of this. It's very weird to find out about this from the newspaper.
I'm not quite sure what this means for Adam or myself (mostly him since it's his only job) and all of the volunteers, but I guess we don't have to worry about it all just yet considering it could take quite a long time for Congress to approve of the purchase. Chances are I'll be off at college by the time any take over actually occurs.
Hopefully it will all work out.
I love how no one has told any of the people who actually run the station about any of this. It's very weird to find out about this from the newspaper.
I'm not quite sure what this means for Adam or myself (mostly him since it's his only job) and all of the volunteers, but I guess we don't have to worry about it all just yet considering it could take quite a long time for Congress to approve of the purchase. Chances are I'll be off at college by the time any take over actually occurs.
Hopefully it will all work out.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Some train station-related news
This is going to be the first summer that the train station is up and running while being staffed full-time. So we (we being mostly Adam, Tina, and myself) are trying to figure out things such as changes in our hours. For now we are keeping the original hours, 10-4, but we will perhaps switch to Saturdays 10-6 and Sundays 12-4 in the future.
We are starting to have more groups come in, which can be fun but also a little stressful, since I for one haven't done many group tours and am still trying to figure out the best methods. I was given a very loud "Bully!" on three by a group of boy scouts the other weekend. And though Teddy Roosevelt scares me a little (okay, a lot), I found it quite amusing.
Since as I write this I am realizing I really don't have all that much to say. So I think I will take this time to promote the town guides' walking tours. I cannot even begin to explain how knowledgeable the town guides are. They know the answer to almost any question you could think of relating to the town's history, especially during the war. They are also to thank for running the train station for its first few months, so I'm completely grateful to them. And I've yet to meet one who isn't an amazing, hilarious, fun, and, most importantly, knowledgeable person. Their rates are good considering the large amount of information they share. I've found that if people know about Gettysburg already, they really only know details about the battle. You know a lot of you are guilty of paying attention to the battlefield and neglecting the town. So a walking tour with a town guide is a really, really good idea this spring or summer.
We are starting to have more groups come in, which can be fun but also a little stressful, since I for one haven't done many group tours and am still trying to figure out the best methods. I was given a very loud "Bully!" on three by a group of boy scouts the other weekend. And though Teddy Roosevelt scares me a little (okay, a lot), I found it quite amusing.
Since as I write this I am realizing I really don't have all that much to say. So I think I will take this time to promote the town guides' walking tours. I cannot even begin to explain how knowledgeable the town guides are. They know the answer to almost any question you could think of relating to the town's history, especially during the war. They are also to thank for running the train station for its first few months, so I'm completely grateful to them. And I've yet to meet one who isn't an amazing, hilarious, fun, and, most importantly, knowledgeable person. Their rates are good considering the large amount of information they share. I've found that if people know about Gettysburg already, they really only know details about the battle. You know a lot of you are guilty of paying attention to the battlefield and neglecting the town. So a walking tour with a town guide is a really, really good idea this spring or summer.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Huzzah!
I've just been informed by Tina Grim that I have won a scholarship to the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College this summmer. I am beyond ecstatic!
If any of my readers are attending, I'd love if you left a comment.
I also am now an employee of the train station, working Saturdays 10-6 and Sundays 12-4 (which are our new weekend hours). I've also procured a position in Visitor Services at the new Visitor Center. I'm going to be quite the busy lady this summer!
As my best friend recently said, I'm really "on a roll lately." I have good news galore, but I won't bore you with everything else.
If any of my readers are attending, I'd love if you left a comment.
I also am now an employee of the train station, working Saturdays 10-6 and Sundays 12-4 (which are our new weekend hours). I've also procured a position in Visitor Services at the new Visitor Center. I'm going to be quite the busy lady this summer!
As my best friend recently said, I'm really "on a roll lately." I have good news galore, but I won't bore you with everything else.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
You'll have to go around, Mr. President.
A while back we (the volunteers at the train station) were told that we should no longer tell visitors that Lincoln entered our building, but simply that he arrived there on November 18, 1863 and departed from there as well. Previously, we had been pretty sure that the president would have gotten off the train onto the platform, gone into the headhouse through the back doors, and left out of the "men's" entrance to his left. But then someone involved with the station discovered one source stating that Lincoln did not enter the headhouse because there were empty coffins stacked inside.
When I give tours, I tell people that we do not know for sure if Lincoln entered because of that one source. But then I say that personally I believe he did enter and I explain to them why I believe this.
The town was expecting a great number of people for the dedication of the cemetery. Many of these people would be arriving by train and then leaving by train a couple days later. Why would they crowd up the space needed for people (some very important ones at that) with coffins when there was the Sheads and Buehler warehouse right next door where they could have easily stacked the coffins? Or if not in the warehouse, why wouldn't they have unloaded the coffins onto the platform or just somewhere else? I suppose they could have even taken them upstairs, though I would imagine carrying coffins up a narrow spiral staircase would be rather difficult.
Perhaps there was a reason the coffins could not be moved, though. Or maybe there was a great deal of illogical thought going on in the confusion of preparing for a tidal wave of visitors. I do not know. It's just one of history's mysteries, I suppose.
When I give tours, I tell people that we do not know for sure if Lincoln entered because of that one source. But then I say that personally I believe he did enter and I explain to them why I believe this.
The town was expecting a great number of people for the dedication of the cemetery. Many of these people would be arriving by train and then leaving by train a couple days later. Why would they crowd up the space needed for people (some very important ones at that) with coffins when there was the Sheads and Buehler warehouse right next door where they could have easily stacked the coffins? Or if not in the warehouse, why wouldn't they have unloaded the coffins onto the platform or just somewhere else? I suppose they could have even taken them upstairs, though I would imagine carrying coffins up a narrow spiral staircase would be rather difficult.
Perhaps there was a reason the coffins could not be moved, though. Or maybe there was a great deal of illogical thought going on in the confusion of preparing for a tidal wave of visitors. I do not know. It's just one of history's mysteries, I suppose.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Departures
I find it very appropriate that today, New Year's Eve, marks the 65th anniversary of the departure of the last passenger train from the train station in Gettysburg. I would give you the details myself, but I think Jerry Bennett does a much better job:
At 4:00 p.m., Thursday, December 31, 1942 conductor George Hardesty called, "All Aboard," and waved a "highball," the traditional hand signal that the train was clear to move, to the engine crew. Ahead in the cab of locomotive #202, engineer George Kelly pulled twice on the whistle and eased out the throttle starting train #44 on its journey to Baltimore. As the large drive wheels gained traction the train slowly gained momentum and then quickly pulled away from the passenger platform and the old brick station for the last time. In less than two minutes it had crossed Stratton Street and passed out of sight. Left behind at the station was a sad sense of finality, for after eighty-three years and 15 days, railroad passenger service to and from Gettysburg on its oldest and most historic line was a thing of the past.
When the train reached Baltimore and the last passengers departed, its cars were turned over to the U.S. War Department to help meet the growing requirement for rail transportation of service men. The curtain had close on the last act.
(From The Gettysburg Railroad Station by Gerald Bennett, available at the train station for a $5 donation.)
At 4:00 p.m., Thursday, December 31, 1942 conductor George Hardesty called, "All Aboard," and waved a "highball," the traditional hand signal that the train was clear to move, to the engine crew. Ahead in the cab of locomotive #202, engineer George Kelly pulled twice on the whistle and eased out the throttle starting train #44 on its journey to Baltimore. As the large drive wheels gained traction the train slowly gained momentum and then quickly pulled away from the passenger platform and the old brick station for the last time. In less than two minutes it had crossed Stratton Street and passed out of sight. Left behind at the station was a sad sense of finality, for after eighty-three years and 15 days, railroad passenger service to and from Gettysburg on its oldest and most historic line was a thing of the past.
When the train reached Baltimore and the last passengers departed, its cars were turned over to the U.S. War Department to help meet the growing requirement for rail transportation of service men. The curtain had close on the last act.
(From The Gettysburg Railroad Station by Gerald Bennett, available at the train station for a $5 donation.)
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Train station open house
The station held an open house last Saturday (yes, I know, I am becoming such a procrastinator) and we actually had quite a turn out, especially considering it was a last minute type thing and it wasn't advertised all that much. Although I think the count got messed up a little bit along the way, it's possible that we had over 100 visitors, mostly local. Several other volunteers came in to help out (among them Horace Greeley and Father Christmas) and we all had a good time giving tours.
I learned quite a bit just from listening (or uh, eavesdropping) including that the future of the train station is not in much danger and that the park service will likely be the buyer. It will be quite a while before anything is settled.
I also learned of this very interesting site, created by train station volunteer Chuck Kann. Though not yet complete, but its use of Google Maps is extremely helpful in locating where on the battlefield one may find monuments and even witness trees. I especially admire that Chuck has done the coding and taken the pictures himself, oftentimes having to wait for certain weather conditions or for the precise time of day to get the right lighting. Even at this stage, I feel that Chuck's project rivals Virtual Gettysburg.
Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of Saturday's open house was one of the visitors to whom I gave a tour. He was an older gentleman, quite knowledgeable about trains (a topic about which I somehow still do not know very much). I was mentioning that the last passenger service was on December 31, 1942 but that they had some sort of reenactment of Lincoln's arrival when the gentleman interrupted me with, "I was there!" Turns out, he was present at the 200th anniversary of the Western Maryland. We volunteers were extremely excited to have met someone who had actually been there in 1952 when the Thatcher Perkins arrived at our station.
I learned quite a bit just from listening (or uh, eavesdropping) including that the future of the train station is not in much danger and that the park service will likely be the buyer. It will be quite a while before anything is settled.
I also learned of this very interesting site, created by train station volunteer Chuck Kann. Though not yet complete, but its use of Google Maps is extremely helpful in locating where on the battlefield one may find monuments and even witness trees. I especially admire that Chuck has done the coding and taken the pictures himself, oftentimes having to wait for certain weather conditions or for the precise time of day to get the right lighting. Even at this stage, I feel that Chuck's project rivals Virtual Gettysburg.
Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of Saturday's open house was one of the visitors to whom I gave a tour. He was an older gentleman, quite knowledgeable about trains (a topic about which I somehow still do not know very much). I was mentioning that the last passenger service was on December 31, 1942 but that they had some sort of reenactment of Lincoln's arrival when the gentleman interrupted me with, "I was there!" Turns out, he was present at the 200th anniversary of the Western Maryland. We volunteers were extremely excited to have met someone who had actually been there in 1952 when the Thatcher Perkins arrived at our station.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Colors
So my dad handed me the paper yesterday and this was on the front page. Well, it was news to me. You'd have thought I would have known about this before it was printed in the paper, but nope. I'm slightly concerned about our future, what will happen to the station and its devoted volunteers. But we'll see what happens before I start freaking out.
But speaking of the station changing hands, it's happened at least twelve times since 1858 when it was built. And almost every time it has been given a new coat of paint to go with its new ownership. Since it's something I get asked about a lot at the station, I figured it may be interesting to write about the history of the colors of the station.
Light gray and chocolate brown were the original colors of the station and were still there when Lincoln arrived in 1863. The gray was painted over the brick and the chocolate brown was used on the trim and doors. The models built by Bill Aldrich show the station with these colors and we have a small area of a wall over the archway leading out to the original platform painted in this way.
This green is called "railroad green" and is located in the office area (in the 1886 addition). It was apparently used pretty frequently in stations in the 1880s or so.
Meanwhile, this interesting salmon color adorns the rest of the second room. So we have a railroad green and salmon second room. I don't believe this is a historically accurate color. What Bob Alcorn told me when I asked was that the salmon was a "compromise," something they just thought would "look good with the green." It's a color that I personally like, but I never thought I'd see it on a wall.
The color of the outside of the building, this is another color that is not historically accurate. I've been told that this was an "accident," that it was intended to be the same color as the Reading Station (a sort of cream color) but something went awry. I have trouble believing this because... if you started painting a building and realized that what was supposed to be cream was actually bright golden yellow, I'm pretty sure you'd notice and stop the painting. But who knows. The trim is currently a dark green and a maroon color. Even if not accurate, it makes the building stand out. And it's a lot easier to say "the bright yellow building" while explaining where I volunteer.
But speaking of the station changing hands, it's happened at least twelve times since 1858 when it was built. And almost every time it has been given a new coat of paint to go with its new ownership. Since it's something I get asked about a lot at the station, I figured it may be interesting to write about the history of the colors of the station.
Light gray and chocolate brown were the original colors of the station and were still there when Lincoln arrived in 1863. The gray was painted over the brick and the chocolate brown was used on the trim and doors. The models built by Bill Aldrich show the station with these colors and we have a small area of a wall over the archway leading out to the original platform painted in this way.
This green is called "railroad green" and is located in the office area (in the 1886 addition). It was apparently used pretty frequently in stations in the 1880s or so.
Meanwhile, this interesting salmon color adorns the rest of the second room. So we have a railroad green and salmon second room. I don't believe this is a historically accurate color. What Bob Alcorn told me when I asked was that the salmon was a "compromise," something they just thought would "look good with the green." It's a color that I personally like, but I never thought I'd see it on a wall.
The color of the outside of the building, this is another color that is not historically accurate. I've been told that this was an "accident," that it was intended to be the same color as the Reading Station (a sort of cream color) but something went awry. I have trouble believing this because... if you started painting a building and realized that what was supposed to be cream was actually bright golden yellow, I'm pretty sure you'd notice and stop the painting. But who knows. The trim is currently a dark green and a maroon color. Even if not accurate, it makes the building stand out. And it's a lot easier to say "the bright yellow building" while explaining where I volunteer.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Remembrance Day and the weekend, 2007
Surely I have kept you in suspense long enough. So here goes!
Saturday, November 17: The train station had extended hours on Saturday, but I still did my usual 12-4. We were quite busy all day, even during the time that the parade was going on on the other side of town. At three, a group of about 72 high school juniors (I stayed behind the counter to avoid blending in with the crowd) from Wisconsin came in to hear a lecture on Abraham Lincoln's assasination and many funerals. Unfortunately I cannot recall the gentleman's name, but he is the one who did all of the research so that another gentleman (whose name I also forget) could construct a model of the Lincoln's Springfield house, a model that is on loan to the train station for about two months. Wendy Allen brought the People's Portrait of Lincoln to the station for its reveal the next day, and so I was one of the first people who got to see the completed portrait. It's very nice and I think if possible you should stop by and see it and Lincoln's Springfield house.
Monday, November 19: I did my career shadowing with Joanne Lewis on Remembrance Day itself and had such a great time! She's such a wonderful person and she's just full of extremely interesting information. I learned so much while I was with her, especially fascinating stories about the town. We attended the ceremonies at the cemetery and were both horrified by Jeff Shaara's speech. It began by him saying that the day was not about him, but the speech was basically all about him. Not to mention his insinuations that history is boring and that he makes it interesting so that people will care about it. Something I've noticed: many people dislike Shaara, but for some reason no one feels that they can say so publically. Well you know what, I'm saying it. Jim Gettys (Mr. President as we call him in town) reenacted Lincoln giving the address.
Joanne and I had lunch at the Farnsworth House (the first time I'd been there) and discussed history, education, the Wills House, and many other things. We then walked back to the Gettysburg Hotel where she showed me her binders of historical photos and told me the stories behind them. I think I learned more on Monday from my time with Joanne than I have in all my studies of the town! The whole day was a fantastic experience.
Saturday, November 17: The train station had extended hours on Saturday, but I still did my usual 12-4. We were quite busy all day, even during the time that the parade was going on on the other side of town. At three, a group of about 72 high school juniors (I stayed behind the counter to avoid blending in with the crowd) from Wisconsin came in to hear a lecture on Abraham Lincoln's assasination and many funerals. Unfortunately I cannot recall the gentleman's name, but he is the one who did all of the research so that another gentleman (whose name I also forget) could construct a model of the Lincoln's Springfield house, a model that is on loan to the train station for about two months. Wendy Allen brought the People's Portrait of Lincoln to the station for its reveal the next day, and so I was one of the first people who got to see the completed portrait. It's very nice and I think if possible you should stop by and see it and Lincoln's Springfield house.
Monday, November 19: I did my career shadowing with Joanne Lewis on Remembrance Day itself and had such a great time! She's such a wonderful person and she's just full of extremely interesting information. I learned so much while I was with her, especially fascinating stories about the town. We attended the ceremonies at the cemetery and were both horrified by Jeff Shaara's speech. It began by him saying that the day was not about him, but the speech was basically all about him. Not to mention his insinuations that history is boring and that he makes it interesting so that people will care about it. Something I've noticed: many people dislike Shaara, but for some reason no one feels that they can say so publically. Well you know what, I'm saying it. Jim Gettys (Mr. President as we call him in town) reenacted Lincoln giving the address.
Joanne and I had lunch at the Farnsworth House (the first time I'd been there) and discussed history, education, the Wills House, and many other things. We then walked back to the Gettysburg Hotel where she showed me her binders of historical photos and told me the stories behind them. I think I learned more on Monday from my time with Joanne than I have in all my studies of the town! The whole day was a fantastic experience.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Coming to you from Iowa City, Iowa
No train station this weekend due to my being out in the midwest. My parents and I set off on Wednesday, stayed the night in Toledo, Ohio, toured the University of Chicago on Thursday, Carleton College yesterday afternoon - I love it there, by the way. And I got to sit in on an Alcohol in America history class, which was very interesting. - and then got to my aunt and uncle's house late last night. We are staying two or three nights here before heading back home.
Being used to the glorious historical markers of Gettysburg and the east, I find the markers about the canning industry of Minnesota just a little silly. This area isn't very rich with prominant history, unfortunately.
Despite not being there this weekend, I do have train station news. An email I received recently has informed me that we no longer believe Lincoln actually entered our station due to the immense amount of empty coffins located inside at the time. Then again, no one is sure either way. It seems that wasn't the kind of thing people took much note of for posterity.
Being used to the glorious historical markers of Gettysburg and the east, I find the markers about the canning industry of Minnesota just a little silly. This area isn't very rich with prominant history, unfortunately.
Despite not being there this weekend, I do have train station news. An email I received recently has informed me that we no longer believe Lincoln actually entered our station due to the immense amount of empty coffins located inside at the time. Then again, no one is sure either way. It seems that wasn't the kind of thing people took much note of for posterity.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Lincoln and me
September in Gettysburg is, frankly, dead as far as tourism goes. And thus my four hours at the train station once a week can seem like a year. Unfortunately, my freaking out about my blood test this morning caused me to forget to bring a book along (currently my book of choice is an encyclopedia of American History). This normally would be no big deal, as I would just play Boomshine to pass the time. Alas! The computer would not let me log in! And so I produced this sketch of Abraham Lincoln. I love how his eyes are sort of crooked but it doesn't matter since they are now saying he was quite unsymmetrical anyway.
Speaking of Mr. Lincoln in all of his unsymmetrical glory, his bust has moved into its home at the station. I'm ashamed that I did not even notice the president's head and shoulders outside until a visitor asked when it'd arrived. Eric and I were able to determine that it must have been sometime within the past week. I was able to greet the bust after showing a couple from D.C. out to Racehorse Alley. I touched a furrow in the jacket and suddenly realized that I have a weird tendency to touch statues and monuments (but I believe only of people, as I cannot recall randomly feeling up the Pennsylvania Monument or any of the other not-people monuments). But I digress. For those who do not know, the bust of Lincoln used to sit in the north-facing doorway of the Wills House until they began renovations. Originally it was supposed to go to the train station in Hanover Junction, but some series of events awarded Mr. Lincoln to us. So far, it's quite nice having him around.
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