Travel and Adventure by Various Travel Authors

By Ruth A. Hill

Almost 150 years after the carnage that nearly destroyed the nation, Pennsylvania is shining new light on its pieces of Civil War heritage. The war's sesquicentennial anniversary begins in 2011, and the commonwealth's tourism managers have mounted the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails initiative for now and beyond.

The trails program assists heritage travelers and others with finding the personal stories, places and events that shaped the era. Small towns that were obscure and have their own war tales to tell are recognized now, along with the war's most famous battlefield and a national museum that recently became attached to the Smithsonian Institution.

Trail followers meander the bucolic Pennsylvania countryside into historic towns, villages and battle sites that figured in the conflict. And there are diversions aplenty along the trail for those who want something more than war stories.

Gettysburg National Military Park remains Pennsylvania's - and perhaps the nation's - Civil War centerpiece, and there are new reasons to visit the fields and hills where the war's most famous battle occurred over three days in July 1863. The $125 million Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center that opened last year presents the issues that nearly destroyed the nation and some of about a million munitions and personal artifacts associated with the battle that left 51,000 casualties.

The visitor center's new must-see is the Gettysburg Cyclorama, a mural created by French painter Paul Philippoteaux in 1884 for Victorian audiences that would have included many war veterans. It received a $12 million five-year restoration and installation in its own circular theater. Thanks to contemporary technology, the enormous panorama — 377 feet in circumference and 42 feet high — with foreground diorama of battle dead and debris offers a sound, smoke and sight experience 19th century observers could never have imagined. Blood and bullets are missing, but the artist's intent — to depict the pivotal Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863 - is more effective than ever with the contemporary special effects.

One of the newest places in Gettysburg for visitors to explore the myriad back stories of human courage, tragedy and triumph surrounding the battle is the recently restored David Wills House Museum on the town's main square. Exhibits relate Wills' leadership with the horrific battle cleanup and creation of the Soldiers' National Cemetery. The house is also where President Abraham Lincoln finished his Gettysburg Address in November 1863, and the bed and spread he used are on display.

Inside the historic Jennie Wade house, birthplace of the only civilian who perished in the battle, U.S. Christian Commission representatives relate that organization's work to feed and minister to soldiers' medical and spiritual needs at Gettysburg and other war battlefields.

At the Shriver House, interpreters offer narratives and living history presentations that acquaint visitors with how the Battle of Gettysburg affected the town's 2,400 ordinary citizens. In Historic Hunterstown, war buffs learn about a skirmish that may have affected the main battle's outcome.

Perhaps the most comprehensive and unbiased museum study about the war resides atop a scenic hill in Pennsylvania's capital, Harrisburg. Now a Smithsonian Affiliate, the National Civil War Museum does a balanced presentation of both Union and Confederate viewpoints on the issues and battles. The scope is from 1850 through 1876, and emphasis is on the human side of the conflict. Via audio-visual presentations, visitors follow several characters representing average people who were alive during the war. Their dialogue is based on letters, diaries and documents in the museum's collection, and their stories emerge throughout the galleries as the war progresses.

Some do not live until the war's end. A diorama of a slave auction and surgery on a wounded soldier are among graphic encounters that relate the human experience.

The only northern town to get a war burn was Chambersburg. In what was called "Southern revenge" in 1864, Confederates scorched the landscape in retaliation for all that had been leveled in the South and the town's refusal to provide a ransom of $500,000 in U.S. currency or $100,000 in gold. Strategic location was its misfortune — Confederates invaded it three times, and Gen. Robert E. Lee established his headquarters there en route to Gettysburg.

Chambersburg's other claim to Civil War fame is that John Brown used the town as his planning post for the October 1859 raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. He found lots of like minds for his abolitionist beliefs, including Mary Ritner, who ran a boarding house where Brown and some of his followers lived that summer. The Heritage Center on Chambersburg's main square is the place to bone up on the town's story and begin a walking tour. A stroll from the square will take you past charming late-Victorian architecture and stops such as the Ritner house and the Old Jail, Pennsylvania's oldest pen built in 1818 and the site of dungeons that were used as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Mingling with all the heritage along Pennsylvania's Civil War Trails is lots else to see and do. Trail travelers can experience plenty of contemporary shopping temptations, lodgings that range from charming B&Bs to no-nonsense chain hotels, and restaurants where local farm produce dishes up fuel for sampling theme parks, live music and the beautiful rolling farmlands of Central Pennsylvania that once saw some of America's worst days.

IF YOU GO

War heritage — Touring variety along Pennsylvania's Civil War Trails keeps everyone interested. Find the war heritage stops and road trip itineraries at www.pacivilwartrails.com. Other information about the region that includes Hershey and Lancaster County is at www.visitpa.com, www.hersheypa.com and www.padutchcountry.com. Throughout Central Pennsylvania, there are golf courses, outlet shopping malls, a theme park and wineries.

Hershey — Chocolate remains the main event for all ages in attractions, lodgings, spa and theme park. Lots is new, including luxury stone cottages and the new Harvest restaurant behind the Hotel Hershey, plus the new Hershey Story museum showcasing Milton Hershey's legacy. That's the place to make your own chocolate bar in the Chocolate Lab and taste warm liquid chocolate from around the world.

Antique Auto Museum — Also in Hershey, the Antique Automobile Club of America displays restored automobiles, buses and motorcycles in a journey from the early 20th century though America's taste in motorized transport. Special exhibits are new throughout the year to encourage visitor return, and the one currently on display is "The Sports Car in America." www.aacamuseum.org.

National Watch & Clock Museum — In the historic Lancaster County town of Columbia, 12,000 time treasures chronicling the world of timekeeping from Stonehenge and early sundials to today's technology are on display here. Civil War timepieces are included. Grave headstones for African-American Civil War soldiers dot Zion Hill Cemetery.

Lancaster County — Besides pastoral scenery, tables and markets laden with produce and products from "Plain people" farms and craftspeople, there are sites recalling the Civil War era. President James Buchanan's home, Wheatland, is a Federal mansion restored to the time before he presided over the nation's march to war.

Ruth A. Hill is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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