FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Harry Readshaw D-Allegheny www.pahouse.com/readshaw

Readshaw presents Pennsylvania honors to GBPA

HARRISBURG, April 16 – In recognition of its 50 years of service and its status as the oldest Civil War battlefield preservation organization in the country, state Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny, has presented citations from the state House and Senate along with Gov. Ed Rendell to the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association.

As residential and commercial development increasingly encroached on the battleground, the non-profit organization was launched by Gettysburg enthusiasts in August 1959 to save as much of the remaining portions as possible for posterity. Their campaign grew into a national effort.

Early members included former President Dwight Eisenhower and historian Bruce Catton. Several governors were on its honorary board of directors.

Over the years, the GBPA has donated 47 properties to the National Park Service, making up one-third of what is today's Gettysburg National Military Park. The properties include the Rose Farm, Timbers Farm, Meals Farm, Tawney Farm, National Cemetery Annex Tract, Willoughby Run Tract, Wolfe Farm and the Sach's Covered Bridge.

Most recently, the GBPA, an all-volunteer organization, acquired the 145-acre Daniel Lady Farm on Hanover Road in Gettysburg. The house and barn, which the GBPA has restored, were used as Confederate field hospitals. Blood stains are still visible on the floor of the home. A significant portion of the massive post-battle Camp Letterman Field Hospital for thousands of Union and Confederate wounded and dying was also on the Lady Farm.

The association also played a major role in the Pennsylvania Gettysburg Monuments Project, founded by Readshaw in 1997, to ensure the preservation of the more than 140 monuments and markers honoring the bravery and sacrifice of Pennsylvania troops in the three-day clash.

Readshaw presented the three citations to GBPA officers at the recent Civil War Preservation Ball in the Pennsylvania Capitol Rotunda. State Rep. Dan Moul, R-Gettysburg, sponsored the House citation along with Readshaw, but was unable to be at the presentation.

"It gives me great pleasure to be able to present these citations, as much as it has been a pleasure to work with the GBPA on initiatives to continue the preservation of the hallowed ground and irreplaceable historic buildings and features that played a role in this pivotal battle of the Civil War," said Readshaw. "They continue to accomplish remarkable things to preserve this essential piece of America's heritage strictly as volunteers.

"Through their donation of countless hours, they have become a part of the legacy of the battle, and I hope others will join them in their patriotic effort."

The Senate citation was sponsored by state Sen. Richard Alloway II, R-Adams/Franklin/York.

"The GBPA has demonstrated a true love and commitment to preserving the history of one of the heroic battles of the Civil War," said Rendell in his citation. "It is only right that we continue to honor the men who fought so gallantly in defense of their beliefs."

In accepting the citations, GBPA president Kathi Schue said the association is continuing its efforts to preserve other sites outside of the current park boundaries that played a role in the battle and its aftermath. The group is currently focusing on the Camp Letterman site, where the GBPA has built a cooperative relationship with developers that hold especially significant portions of the property.

"We have learned so much about the Daniel Lady Farm since we acquired it several years ago, and while we believed Letterman was adjacent, it was a spectacular surprise to learn that, no, it was actually on our property, too," said Schue. "That's what our founders were all about 50 years ago – to learn as much as possible about the Gettysburg battlefield and the people involved, and to preserve as much of it as we possibly can."

For more information about GBPA, visit the organization's Web site at www.gbpa.org. More information about the Pennsylvania Gettysburg Monuments Project can be obtained by calling Readshaw's Harrisburg office at 717-783-0411 or by e-mail at gettysburg@pahouse.net.