It is Monday, June 4, 2012 and we are off to tour the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center and Museum and Eisenhower's National Historic Site. Timing as it is, we started by viewing the Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama. It is a massive oil-on-canvas painting 377' long and 42' high displayed in a circular auditorium and enhanced w/landscaped foregrounds - such as trees, grasses, fences and artifacts. The result is a three-dimensional effect that surrounds the viewers who stand on a central platform, literally placing us in the center of the great historic war. Very very impressive w/sounds of gun fire, etc. The film was narrated by Morgan Freeman and provides an orientation to the battle and places the battle into the context of the events of the Civil War. (No pictures were allowed).
We then took a bus to tour Dwight Eisenhower's Home, Grounds and Farm. They bought the farm for retirement purposes but also used it as a temporary White House while he recuperated from a heart attack as well as for personal diplomacy, inviting world leaders to visit the house and cattle barns. Dwight maintained a very successful cattle enterprise for l5 years - composed of l89 acres. His Black Angus were award winning grand champions. The house, which needed to be remodeled after their purchase, consists of 8 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, a stately living room, formal dining room, kitchen and butler's pantry and glassed-in porch (their favorite room in the house). Mamie loved her pink. My daughter, Dawn, loves pink, but Mamie had pink tubs, sinks, table cloths, bed furnishings, etc. A bit much even for Dawn.
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| View of the Farm |
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Interior of the House
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Outside of House
After the tour of the Farm, we returned to the Museum. Again no pictures. It was a beautiful facility but the lighting was very poor and quite noisy. We saw more films and artifacts of the war. Well, I think we saw more than enough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was truely quite a history lesson. Will be in touch tomorrow from Maryland.
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