Preserve Gettysburg

Gettysburg Casino Applicant Appeals Decision

On June 20, 2011, the Mason-Dixon resort, the Gettysburg applicant for a casino near the park, appealed the decision denying them a license to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. They had been turned down in their effort for a license in competition with three other applicants by the Pennsylvania Gambling Control Board at their April 14, 2011 meeting, awarding that license to the Nemacolin resort south of Pittsburgh on a 6-1 vote. So the battle is not over and the need to permanantly pass a 10 mile buffer measure being considered by the Pennsylvania legislature continues. For more information on the effort and subject, check out and support No Casino Gettysburg, the Civil War Trust, National Park Conservation Association, and other groups who are fighting this proposal.

The proposal still revolves around a plan to place a Casino in Gettysburg just 1/2 mile from the southern end of the field on Emmitsburg Road, right along the Journey Through History. Spearheaded again by Gettysburg businessman David LeVan, this project is centered around the current Eisenhower Inn.

But no matter whether the Supreme Court eventually upholds the gambling boards decision to award the license to Nemacolin and not Gettysburg, the effort to prevent a future casino in Gettysburg will not be over until Pennsylvania legislators pass the bill they are currently considering that would prevent any future casinos from being placed within 10 miles of a National Military Park. Please urge them to pass this bill. Another resort license will be awarded in 2017, and this legislation is needed so that the people of Gettysburg do not have to fight another proposal for the third time.

Help stop any future project by joining the forces of No Casino Gettysburg.

Watch the wondeful videos below put together by the No Casino Gettysburg and Civil War Preservation Trust coaltion. It includes well known peope who are against the casino idea, including Sam Waterston, Matthew Broderick, Ken Burns, and others. A second video by the same actors, all reciting the Gettysburg Address is also included.

Legacy Testimony Video

Gettysburg Address Video

Time to help the folks at NO CASINO GETTYSBURG again as the 2nd plan to bring gambling to America's most historic small town move forward. To view a video about the effort to stop the casino, watch below.

Development Pressure Returns to Gettysburg

Despite the economic climate within the housing industry and mortgage market, developers are now back and trying to develop the Gettysburg area as a housing corridor for commuters to Harrisburg and Baltimore.

Land surrounding the park has been at risk for years, including land in Hunterstown, site of cavalry action, but has been on the backburner during the economic recession. It won't stay that way forever. Please contact the various preservation groups that are trying to protect these lands and make a point that it is preservation and the history that matters here. Some, including the Foundation, may be losing sight of that goal, as they move into different, and well meaning, roles, including the running of the new Visitor Center and Museum. They must not lose sight of their mission, however, and spend their time and effort on both interpreting the battle and saving the land that it was waged on.

Contact the Gettysburg Foundation and urge them to spend their money on interpretation and land preservation, not extravagant salaries for its staff.

Contact the Civil War Trustand give what you can to secure the land currently being purchased with the help of the trust and any future lands. They have recently been instrumental in the purchase of nearly 100 acres of the 1st Day fighting land, including the Gettysburg Countryclub, Benner, and Power's Hill properties, and now target land across from the entrance to the new visitor center.

Contact the National Park Conservation Association and let them know you want to see Gettysburg wrested from the hands of townhouses and commuter developments.

Contact your local Congressman or Senator and ask them to remember Gettysburg in future legislation that might ban casinos from within 10 miles of a national military park (imagine a casino next to the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor or across the street from the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center in New York City.)

Find Out More About Saving the Electric Map

Over 61 Million People Have Viewed This Historic Map About the Battle of Gettsyburg when it was housed in the former visitor center, but it's fate, now, is unsure, beyond storage, even though recent news suggest that the park is considering future use of the map.

Little Known Fact about the Electric Map: It was more popular than the Cyclorama, the most popular feature in the old visitor center, but was not chosen to move into the new visitor center.

Check the site below to find out how you can help save this historic piece of Gettysburg National Military Park history. http://savetheelectricmap.com

Reminder of the Consequences of Inaction

Casino Gambling Comes to Gettysburg, Attendance at the Park Drops

Since casino gambling has come to Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the end of 1993, attendance at Vicksburg National Military Park has dropped 35%. That means that 35% fewer parents and their children come to witness the historic events at Gettysburg and learn the history of the most important small town in America. In a time when we worry about education and making sure the next generation knows about its heritage and past, why take the chance that this happens in Gettysburg.

Vicksburg NMP - Year Recreational Visitors
2009 584,105
2008 555,109
2007 699,314
2006 676,605
2005 703,484
2004 958,081
2003 901,672
2002 1,023,370
2001 992,284
2000 934,226
1999 1,021,860
1998 1,005,918
1997 894,000
1996 968,615
1995 896,019
1994 801,381
1993 1,010,001
1992 910,493
1991 864,799

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What Could Happen if These Proposals Are Not Stopped

Developers Continue to Gobble up Land Within Park Boundaries and Surrounding the Park

Traffic becomes congested, commercial malls string along the the roadways, mile after mile after mile. The rationale for coming to or even living in Gettysburg is no longer predicated on its past, in fact, its not predicated on its present either, just another excuse to commute to work in the more important locations, i.e. Harrisburg and Baltimore.

Gettysburg National Military Park now becomes another Valley Forge, surrounded by office towers, highways, and homes, and now more of a recreation park than a historic park for most visitors.

It becomes another Manassas, with rampant development knocking at its doors from all directions. It becomes another Fredericksburg, a town with tons of history, but with a highway that is more important, and land that is no longer indicative of the history from its past, but another excuse for commercial development. Don't think that's true, try to envision the charge at Marye's Heights compared to that at Pickett's Charge. And we won't even get into the Battle of Franklin.

And it loses out on commerce. Even in its bad years, Gettysburg still draws between 1 and 2 million visitors per year for its charm and history. In good economic times, it draws between 2 and 3 million. Do we really think this will increase with casino gambling and more residential and commercial devlopment?

Save Our Historic Sites and Vistas

TAKE ACTION NOW!
From Gettysburg to San Onofre

Ground of Pickett's Charge, Gettysburg, from Confederate position

Although the current economic climate has slowed some of the troubles in preserving historic sites and lands with slower development growth, the problem of preservation funding is now in the fore even more. If you want to get involved, contact the various organizations in your local community to see where you can help. National organizations such as the Civil War Preservation Trust and the National Parks Conservations Organization are always in need of assistance.

Expanded gambling legislation has now passed the PA legislature, allowing two new opportunities for the Gettysburg gambling proposal to apply for a license. Almost 10,000 men died and 50,000 were killed, wounded, or missing at Gettysburg. Help retain the honor and sacrifice of these men. It's time to promote a ban on any new casinos within 10 miles of a National Military Park. They wouldn't be voting to put a casino next to a 9/11 memorial site or Arlington Cemetery or the Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor. Contact your federal congressman or Senator and ask them to propose such a ban. To know more about the recent project and efforts to promote a PA ban on future applications within 10 miles of a National Military Park, check out No Casino Gettysburg.

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