A town of hucksters

I visited Gattysburg this past weekend. Some thoughts:

50,000 Americans were casualties of the Battle of Gettysburg - a trying time in our nation%26#39;s history. The battle lasted for three days and swept from farmlands northwest of the town, through the town itself, and culiminating on Cemetary Ridge southeast of town.

But beyond the National Park Service and a handful of merchants and attractions dedicated to authenticity and historical relevance, Gettysburg is a town of hucksters.

Shops selling made-in-China kepis %26amp; irreverent t-shirts, and fraudulent attractions mar the town. Bars open early and stay open late and they sell shirts emblazoned ';Gettysburg: A Drinking Town with a History Problem.';

The history is trivialized by the town atmosphere. The valor, courage, and sacrifice of 1863 are secondary to the appetite to sell cheap souvernirs for a fast buck. It is disappointing. Very disappointing.

The Battle of Gettysburg is more than souvenirs and t-shirt slogans but you wouldn%26#39;t know that by visiting Gettysburg.

A town of hucksters

I would say that in Gettysburg you can find whatever you%26#39;re looking for. If you%26#39;re a dedicated historian and reenactor, you%26#39;ll find plenty of attractions and tours to keep you interested in what happened here in 1863. If you%26#39;re a young family with children who are easily bored by history, there are other things to do here as well. Having lived in various parts of this country, and toured 47 of the 50 states, I can assure you that Gettysburg is no more ';hokey'; or no more distinguished than any other town with a tourism element As long as people are willing to buy crap, someone, somewhere, will be willing to sell it.

A town of hucksters

I find your post amusing. You really think that the bars stay open late in Gettysburg? Most close at 11:00PM In Pennsylvania they are allowed to stay open until 2:00AM. The town of Gettysburg is often made fun of by many as rolling up the sidewalks at dark. I wonder if you took advantage of the Ranger walks/talks at the visitors center? Did you hire guide for a tour of the battlefield? There are many historical things in Gettysburg you just have to know where to find the list. I don%26#39;t mind all of the tourist traps because I%26#39;ve grown accustumed to them. I%26#39;m there at least once a month. As far as O%26#39;Roarkes History Town shirts, try to remember it is a joke! While I understand the resentment of the commercialization of the town, there is a way for you to help change it. There are several preservation groups that buy up these buildings and remove them. The most succesful is Friends of The National Parks at Gettysburg. Their most recent project is fund raising to remove the electrical lines in the Devil%26#39;s Den area.

Have you ever been to a tourist attraction here in the U.S. where someone didn%26#39;t try to cash in on the tourism? Check out Gatlinburg sometime--the simple mountain folk who settled that area are probably turning over in their graves this very minute. Myrtle Beach has become a strip of high rises on the beach with a tacky t-shirt industry second to none, with the possible exception of Niagara Falls or Key West, all places that originally drew people because of their exceptional natural beauty.

It%26#39;s just that most American of ideas, namely: find a place that is breathtakingly beautiful, historically significant, etc., etc. and then proceed to make it as tacky as is humanly possible. Not to be cynical, but that%26#39;s just the way that it is. You have to try to look past the touristy clutter and just enjoy yourself as much as possible in spite of it.

LOL!! Did this poster even come to this town? Sure we have Tshirts and crap but we are tame compared to something like ...Williamsburg. We dont have an amusement park. We do have a college so we have a couple of bars but I dont ever see people out int he streets partying or anything. Gettysburg has halted as much delevopment as possible (ie the Casino) to keep it historical. If tourists didnt buy those thsirts and junk no one would sell it. But there is a market. Kids like junk like that on vacation. I am guilty myslef when I went to Williamsburg and Gatlinburg we went to tourist shops just to but that stuff. But we had a good time!!!

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