Title
First In the Nation’s History: Gettysburg From Battlefield Memorial Association to National Park
Class Year
2017
Document Type
Blog Post
Publication Date
9-30-2016
Department 1
Civil War Institute
Abstract
Just over a month after the Battle of Gettysburg turned the town on its head, local attorney David McConaughy sent a letter to several prominent citizens suggesting that “there could be no more fitting and expressive memorial of the heroic valor and signal triumphs of our army…than the battle-field itself.” He had already purchased some of the ground, and in order to keep the effort going, he suggested trying to get Pennsylvania citizens to contribute money to purchase and preserve more. In order to manage this fund and the battlefield, McConaughy proposed the formation of a preservation association and made a plan to seek its formal incorporation by the State Legislature. The idea went over well with the local citizens, and on September 5, 1863, they and McConaughy met to consider the matter of battlefield preservation. What they established was Gettysburg’s first preservation organization and the nation’s earliest attempt to preserve a Civil War battlefield.
[excerpt]
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Christensen, Hannah M., "First In the Nation’s History: Gettysburg From Battlefield Memorial Association to National Park" (2016). The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History. 199.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/compiler/199
Comments
This blog post originally appeared in The Gettysburg Compiler and was created by students at Gettysburg College.