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As expected, U.S. Rep. Todd Platts is proposing legislation to include the downtown Gettysburg Railroad Station within the boundaries of the 6,000-acre Gettysburg Battlefield.
Platts introduced a bill this week, noting that the historic depot was the location where President Abraham Lincoln arrived and left town via train in 1863, when he gave the immortal Gettysburg Address.
The Park Service is negotiating with the Borough of Gettysburg to obtain the station — in a deal believed to be valued at $722,000 — but the sale cannot move forward until the two-story depot is included in the park’s boundary.
“The preservation of the Lincoln Train Station will help inspire future generations to better appreciate the significance of the Gettysburg Campaign, the Civil War and the bravery of the soldiers who, in President Lincoln’s words, gave the last full measure of devotion,” said Platts, whose Congressional district includes Gettysburg.
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Platts’ bill is not unusual — the park’s boundaries were expanded five years ago to include the David Wills House on Lincoln Square, when the three-story structure was sold by the borough to the park.
The bill also includes language to include 45 acres of donated land along Plum Run in Cumberland Township within park boundaries.
According to GNMP spokeswoman Katie Lawhon, the land was donated to the park earlier this year, and the site abuts Park Service property. The Hills donated the land to the park’s private fundraising and management partner, the Gettysburg Foundation, in April. Lawhon explained that the property is located at the southern end of the Gettysburg Battlefield, at the base of Big Round Top. “The Gettysburg Foundation plans to donate it to the National Park Service, once it’s in the park boundary,” said Lawhon.
Borough officials remain optimistic about the Train Station sale, even though negotiations have crawled along for nearly two years. The borough and park are currently working out legal issues, such as obtaining clearance from the CSX Corporation.
“We’re still under a letter of intent with the Park Service,” veteran Councilman Ted Streeter explained previously.
“The Park Service is proceeding. We’re both acting in good faith,” added Streeter.
Town leaders have also expressed confidence that the recent demotion of GNMP Supt. John Latschar to a desk job in Maryland will have little influence on the train station sale.
“It’s probably not going to have that big of an influence...we’ve checked, we’ve asked,” said Councilman Bob Krummerich. “The leadership transition (at the park) is going smoothly, and it shouldn’t really negatively impact the train station sale.”
Krummerich continued: “There are a couple of details being ironed out by lawyers, and the federal government is involved, so it will happen when it happens, and there’s not a lot we can do to push it along.”
If the sale occurs, and officials are confident that it will, the station will be operated in accordance with the Gettysburg Interpretive Plan as a downtown visitor orientation center.
The station was donated by the Olinger Family to the borough in the late 1990s. Following the transfer, the borough launched a capital campaign to restore the rundown structure.
Federal and state grants were obtained as part of a $2.5 million restoration project, and the station was re-dedicated in Nov. 2007.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Gettysburg Railroad Train Station served as a hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, transporting wounded soldiers after the battle.
The station is the official home of the Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and it has been operated for the past two years by the National Trust for Historic Gettysburg.
Platts introduced a bill this week, noting that the historic depot was the location where President Abraham Lincoln arrived and left town via train in 1863, when he gave the immortal Gettysburg Address.
The Park Service is negotiating with the Borough of Gettysburg to obtain the station — in a deal believed to be valued at $722,000 — but the sale cannot move forward until the two-story depot is included in the park’s boundary.
“The preservation of the Lincoln Train Station will help inspire future generations to better appreciate the significance of the Gettysburg Campaign, the Civil War and the bravery of the soldiers who, in President Lincoln’s words, gave the last full measure of devotion,” said Platts, whose Congressional district includes Gettysburg.
*
Platts’ bill is not unusual — the park’s boundaries were expanded five years ago to include the David Wills House on Lincoln Square, when the three-story structure was sold by the borough to the park.
The bill also includes language to include 45 acres of donated land along Plum Run in Cumberland Township within park boundaries.
According to GNMP spokeswoman Katie Lawhon, the land was donated to the park earlier this year, and the site abuts Park Service property. The Hills donated the land to the park’s private fundraising and management partner, the Gettysburg Foundation, in April. Lawhon explained that the property is located at the southern end of the Gettysburg Battlefield, at the base of Big Round Top. “The Gettysburg Foundation plans to donate it to the National Park Service, once it’s in the park boundary,” said Lawhon.
Borough officials remain optimistic about the Train Station sale, even though negotiations have crawled along for nearly two years. The borough and park are currently working out legal issues, such as obtaining clearance from the CSX Corporation.
“We’re still under a letter of intent with the Park Service,” veteran Councilman Ted Streeter explained previously.
“The Park Service is proceeding. We’re both acting in good faith,” added Streeter.
Town leaders have also expressed confidence that the recent demotion of GNMP Supt. John Latschar to a desk job in Maryland will have little influence on the train station sale.
“It’s probably not going to have that big of an influence...we’ve checked, we’ve asked,” said Councilman Bob Krummerich. “The leadership transition (at the park) is going smoothly, and it shouldn’t really negatively impact the train station sale.”
Krummerich continued: “There are a couple of details being ironed out by lawyers, and the federal government is involved, so it will happen when it happens, and there’s not a lot we can do to push it along.”
If the sale occurs, and officials are confident that it will, the station will be operated in accordance with the Gettysburg Interpretive Plan as a downtown visitor orientation center.
The station was donated by the Olinger Family to the borough in the late 1990s. Following the transfer, the borough launched a capital campaign to restore the rundown structure.
Federal and state grants were obtained as part of a $2.5 million restoration project, and the station was re-dedicated in Nov. 2007.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Gettysburg Railroad Train Station served as a hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, transporting wounded soldiers after the battle.
The station is the official home of the Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and it has been operated for the past two years by the National Trust for Historic Gettysburg.
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