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Soldiers National Museum Closing in Gettysburg
By Candy Woodall
From: www.yorkdispatch.com
The diaries have been guarded behind a glass case for 50 years.
Their words were penned by Civil War soldiers in the Battle of Gettysburg.
What it felt like to be those soldiers is a question that couldn't be fully answered by visitors to the Soldiers National Museum in Gettysburg.
They could look, but not touch - a rule that has made the museum's popularity wane among guests, said owner Max Felty.
The museum at 777 Baltimore St. will close at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2.
Its items, including those diaries, will be auctioned in a ballroom of the 1863 Inn of Gettysburg at 516 Baltimore St. at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 22., just days after the 151st anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. both days of the auction.
A preview will also be held from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at the 1863 Inn of Gettysburg.
Several items will be up for bid: authentic Civil War artifacts, including bullets, cannon shells, guns, belt buckles; toy soldiers, rare dioramas; hand-painted soldiers and more.
Those are all things visitors wanted to touch, hold and examine, but couldn't, Felty said.
"This museum concept has lived its useful life. Visitors want a more hands-on, tech-heavy experience. We don't really have that here," he said.
How it started: Comedian and actor Cliff Arquette, best known for the TV character Charlie Weaver, opened the the museum in 1959 as Cliff Arquette's Soldiers Museum.
Click Here for the original article
By Candy Woodall
From: www.yorkdispatch.com
The diaries have been guarded behind a glass case for 50 years.
Their words were penned by Civil War soldiers in the Battle of Gettysburg.
What it felt like to be those soldiers is a question that couldn't be fully answered by visitors to the Soldiers National Museum in Gettysburg.
They could look, but not touch - a rule that has made the museum's popularity wane among guests, said owner Max Felty.
The museum at 777 Baltimore St. will close at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2.
Its items, including those diaries, will be auctioned in a ballroom of the 1863 Inn of Gettysburg at 516 Baltimore St. at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 22., just days after the 151st anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. both days of the auction.
A preview will also be held from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at the 1863 Inn of Gettysburg.
Several items will be up for bid: authentic Civil War artifacts, including bullets, cannon shells, guns, belt buckles; toy soldiers, rare dioramas; hand-painted soldiers and more.
Those are all things visitors wanted to touch, hold and examine, but couldn't, Felty said.
"This museum concept has lived its useful life. Visitors want a more hands-on, tech-heavy experience. We don't really have that here," he said.
How it started: Comedian and actor Cliff Arquette, best known for the TV character Charlie Weaver, opened the the museum in 1959 as Cliff Arquette's Soldiers Museum.
Click Here for the original article