Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

[Emmanuel Dabney]

Pamplin to curtail hours

BY ELLIOTT ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
Published: Tuesday, December 2, 2008 4:14 AM EST
DINWIDDIE — The nation’s recession is leading to changes at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in January.

The economic downturn has led the Pamplin Foundation, which supports the park, to open the park by reservation only beginning Jan. 2, 2009.

The private-run park, which opened in 1994, is being hard hit because it doesn’t rely on government subsidies.

“We have maintained steady or increasing visitation and revenues since 1995, even this year when many historic sites have experienced significant declines in attendance and revenues,” A. Wilson Greene, park president, said in a press release. “The difference is that many history museums rely on public funding to bridge the gap between income and expenses, and we receive no government appropriations.”

Despite this, the park’s ratio of earned income to operating expenses is nearly double the average of other history museums across the nation.

Beginning next month, park members may place reservations to visit the park 24 hours in advance with no minimum numbers and no admission fee.

Non-members who wish to visit the park must make a reservation 48 hours in advance. Admission for non members is $100 for groups up to 10 people and $10 per adult for groups over 10.

Current admission is $15 per person, and the park is open daily except for New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

“We deeply regret the necessity to curtail normal daily operations to meet this new fiscal reality,” Greene said.

Reservation-based programming will continue as usual, including school field trips, battlefield tours, the Summer Teacher Institutes and the Civil War Adventure Camps.

Despite the admission changes, none of the park’s museums will be changed, and the historic and reconstructed structures in the park will be maintained, Greene said.

Additionally, no changes will be made to the interpretive trails and the park’s artifact collection. The park also will continue online programming.

Should economic conditions quickly improve, Greene said, some regular operating hours may return by next spring.

Pamplin Park spans over 400 acres, including and surrounding the Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield, which is a National Historic Landmark. The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier opened in the park in 1999.

Elliott Robinson may be reached at 722-5160 or at erobinson@progress-index.com.

Online at: http://progress-index.com/articles/2...31210_top1.txt

[BrandonEnglish]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

To be honest I can't say I am entirely shocked. Here is the official Press Release from Pamplin.

http://www.pamplinpark.org/press_releases/120108Change.pdf

[lukegilly13]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

Has this park gone downhill through the years? In 2002 I visted the park and it was spectacular! I was very impressed with the interpreters and the knowledge of the park employees. My SCV unit took a trip there in 2003 and loved it as well. I assumed they were one of the most popular sights in VA. Perhaps being the most popular sight in VA wouldn't keep you afloat right now however.

[BrandonEnglish]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

I used to work there and the park is spectacular everything about it is great! It's the back of the house that has been a constant problem. There were plenty of days where 0-1 visitor would come thru the park from a strictly financial stand point that just isn't cost effective to stay open during the winter/slow months. The days with less than 10 visitors was overwhelming. I love the park and I am glad to see that the land of the breakthrough will remain preserved. But this is no shock.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

Hi,

I have only made it there once for a couple of hours, but I really enjoyed it!!!!! It is a shame that they have to do this, but it is better than them closing the park down completely.

Andrew

[KathyBradford]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

Pamplin is a great place with all kinds of things to see and do. Museums everywhere are hurting for money, but losing access to such a tremendous resource would be a true loss. We'll be going in the next couple of weeks, and I hope the place rebounds quickly and well.

[J.H.Berger]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

I was there once in 2003 and I was impressed! A very very interesting museum and site. I hope that they will keep their head over the water this way because I would like to visit the park in the future again!

[Canebrake Rifle Guards]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

Some historic sites shut down in the winter as a matter of course. My wife's site, Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest (his other home), shuts down every year from November to April. Except they do continue VIP tours, appointment tours, and bus tours.

Its just too expensive to maintain a walk up store front when the visitation is known to be low. The staff keeps just as busy as the open months doing maintenance, writing grants, working on projects, etc. Its a cycle, sort of like the school year.

Greg Starbuck

[Kanawha Riflemen]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

This is a shame to hear. I visited the park in 2000. It was a very well interpreted park. The staff was great. I work for the state of Maryland at South Mountain State Battlefield and this past year we broken several visitor records, and I am glad to see that. But yet in Pennsylvania where I live, several commenwealth-funded grants are on hold. It hit the museum in the town where I live at very hard.

I am also a co-chair to bring a museum to Fort Ritchie that will focus on the Civil War battle of Monterey Pass as well as Camp Ritchie's history in World War One and World War Two. These are things we are looking at too. Even the lady from the Maryland Historic Trust said this is a good time to start a museum, but a bad time to it as well. I wish the staff at Pamplin Park the best of luck and hopefully they can reopen to the public without reservations in the future.

John A. Miller

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

Based on the post by Mr. Starbuck, it seems like smart business to me...if visitation is known to be down during the winter months...it makes since not to run the full exhibits unless by appointment (which I'm sure they'd gladly take).

All this prevents is the casual driver-by who would happen to randomly stop in.

Paul B.

[Dan]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

Sadly Pamplin Park is just one of many that have been hit severely by the recent recession. Some of you may have been following event in Illinois as well. They have shuttered 12 historic sites, and seven state parks for 2009 due to budget shortfalls. This has included several Lincoln associated sites on the eve of the bicentennial of his birth. This has also included the laying off of large numbers of staff across the state system.

This appeared recently in USA Today, however it has been in the news elsewhere in the last few months:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-11-28-illinois-historic-sites-closing_N.htm

Tough times indeed.

Dan Schoeneberg

[Jimmayo]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

I went there a couple of weekends ago after the Richmond CW show. There were more people working there than visiting. I think it is a smart move. Come March or April the school kids will be visiting and things should get better.

[j harold 587]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

Have been able to visit Pamplin twice. The ability to provide interpetation that is able to keep the attention of the novice and the serious student of the ACW was impressive. My wife (the one who does not appreciate ACW studies) is ready to visit there any time. Our second visit was to see the Civil War Santa. She is into Santa. It also provides the most even handed explaination of slavery in America that this yankee boy has seen.
Hopefully this policy will just be an off season situation and will not be required to stay in place for very long.

[Busterbuttonboy]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

Same Story Down in Williamsburg

http://www.wtvr.com/Global/story.asp?S=9300018

This 140 figure I think is a little low. As always these cuts to help balance the budget appear to be coming from the income producers of the foundation and of course not at the big bucks, top administration end.

Drew Gruber

[Emmanuel Dabney]

Re: Pamplin Park to Go to Open by Reservation Only

Economy the culprit at Pamplin
BY MARKUS SCHMIDT

Published: Sunday, December 7, 2008 4:11 AM EST
DINWIDDIE — The change of operations at Pamplin Historical Park announced last week will result in most full-time employees being laid off, a park official said.

“The majority of full-time staff members will be laid off by the end of the year,” said A. Wilson Greene, the park’s director.

But Greene remains hopeful that the Civil War park, a major tourist attraction in the area, could restore its regular public hours in the spring.

Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier announced Tuesday it will be open by reservation only beginning Jan. 2.

The privately-run park declined to provide the number to be laid off, the number of visitors or other financial information.

Chris Calkins, chief of interpretation at Petersburg National Battlefield, called the semi-closing of the park a “great loss for our community.”

Greene said the change of operations at Pamplin Park was necessary in spite of strong visitor numbers the past two years.

“Here at the park, we have not been struggling at all,” Greene said. “In 2007, we had a record high of visitors. This year, we were only one point behind last year.” The problem is not the money that the park generates, but the support it gets from the Pamplin Foundation, which provides the bulk of the park’s operating budget. “For next year, this support was cut significantly, which forced us to take this step,” said Greene. “This is a product of the economy.”

Greene said that 34 percent to 41 percent of the operational costs for the park come from ticket sales, souvenir shops and restaurants.

“Even if we had a visitor increase of a large 20 percent, we would still not be able to operate fully,” he said.

The park has no plans to approach the Dinwiddie Board of Supervisors and ask for funding, Greene said.

“The county is dealing with its own financial pressures,” he said.

Pamplin Historical Park opened in 1994 on the site of what Greene called The Breakthrough in his recent book, “The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign: Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion.”

At this location, 14,000 federal troops pushed through Confederate earthworks in the early morning hours of April 2, 1865. Some of the earthen walls are still visible today, other trenches have been recreated with defense mechanisms.

To Calkins, who helped to acquire the land for the Pamplin Foundation and now oversees the new visitor contact station at the nearby Five Forks Battlefield, the fact that Pamplin Park won’t be open for spontaneous visits in the future is hard to digest.

“I’m truly shocked,” he said. “The story of The Breakthrough compliments our story at Five Forks.”

The significance of the site is also known at the American Civil War Center in Richmond.

“Pamplin Historical Park is an important historical location,” said Christy Coleman, president of the center.

“We always tell our visitors that people need to understand Civil War history in Petersburg if they want to understand the history in Richmond,” she said. “And we hand out pamphlets for the park.”

Coleman said the American Civil War Center is not struggling with funding.

“Donations are not going down. But we are watching our operations very carefully, and we are looking at our visitation pattern,” she said. “We do expect some decrease in corporate giving, but individual donations make the bulk of our budget, and these figures have not gone down,” she said.

Coleman said that the reservation-only concept is something that she wouldn’t do.

“Most of our visitors are tourists,” she said. “Visits by reservation only would be difficult to communicate, because our visitors are coming from other states, sometimes even other countries.”

Greene hopes the park could go back to its regular hours sometime next year.

“The current strategy may be only temporarily,” he said. “I have no idea if the Pamplin Foundation will restore its full funding level if the economy recovers, but there is no reason to preclude this.”

In the meantime, Greene hopes volunteers step in.

“We already have seven to eight volunteers on our staff right now,” he said. “They could help to restore our regular public hours in spring.”

Until then, visitors are required to make group reservations.

Greene stressed that the park will remain fully operating.

“I don’t anticipate any dismantling of facilities,” he said. “Every visitor will always have the same high quality experience. All museums and exhibitions will be properly maintained, all trails will be open. There will be very little difference for visitors after Jan. 2.”

Ticket prices will be reduced starting Jan. 2. Admission for a group of 10 people will be $100; every additional adult will be charged $10 and every additional child $5.

• Markus Schmidt may be reached at 722-5172 or mschmidt@progress-index.com.

Online at: http://progress-index.com/articles/2...42349_top1.txt