Existing comment:
Access to the World:
The Gettysburg Railroad Station:
1942 - Present:
A Community Landmark Restored.
After 1942, the station saw just limited use, and in 1955 the Western Maryland Railway leased it to the Gettysburg Travel Council, which maintained a popular visitor information center here until 2002. While the Travel Council rented the building, it was not responsible for major repairs. In 1996, local residents, alarmed at the rapid deterioration of the building, formed a Train Station Committee to seek a solution. In November 1998, the Borough of Gettysburg obtained title of the building, and with the help of local, state and federal officials, and many generous private donors, raised more than two million dollars to undertake a complete restoration.
From 2002 to 2005, the Train Station Committee conducted careful historical, architectural, and archaeological work to provide a better understanding of how the building looked at various times in its history, and to plan the restoration. During this process, hundreds of rare documents and artifacts were uncovered, some now on display.
The restoration got underway in January 2005 and was completed in the late spring of 2006. A special public ceremony to rededicate the building took place on November 18, 2006 on the 143rd anniversary of President Lincoln's arrival at the station. The building now serves the public as a museum and for various community functions. |