Partners support monument preservation at Gettysburg National Military Park

(12/21) The Gettysburg Foundation and the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association (GBPA) have provided donations to match federal funds to preserve monuments at Gettysburg National Military Park. Thanks to partner support and federal funding from the Helium Act, a total of $188,129 is available to do repairs and preservation maintenance for more than 350 civil war monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield.

The Gettysburg Foundation provided $50,765 and the GBPA provided $43,300 in a dollar-for-dollar match for $94,065 in federal funding. National Park Service preservation specialists will use the funds to continue to work on more than 350 of Gettysburg’s 1300 monuments, steam cleaning stone features and pedestals, re-pointing and preserving masonry, power-washing and waxing all bronze elements, and repairing and replacing missing or broken bronze features, as necessary.

The federal funding comes from the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013, which provides $20 million in fiscal 2018 from proceeds from the sale of federal helium, to be used for deferred maintenance projects requiring a minimum 50% match from a non-federal funding source.

"Public private partnerships help stretch federal dollars to take care of national parks," said Ed Wenschhof Jr., acting superintendent at Gettysburg National Military Park. "We’re very pleased to have the Gettysburg Foundation and the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association help us fund the care of these important monuments."

Beginning in 1863 veterans and survivors of the battle of Gettysburg preserved the battle grounds and created the commemorative features and monuments that still define the park today. The 1895 law establishing Gettysburg National Military Park authorized the federal government to preserve the "important topographic features of the battlefield" and to preserve and mark the battle positions.

Gettysburg National Military Park preserves, protects and interprets for this and future generations the resources associated with the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, during the American Civil War, the Soldiers' National Cemetery, and their commemorations.

About the Gettysburg Foundation: The Gettysburg Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit philanthropic, educational organization operating in partnership with the National Park Service to preserve Gettysburg National Military Park and the Eisenhower National Historic Site, and to educate the public about their significance. The Foundation operates the Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park.

About the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association: Founded in 1959, the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association, a 501(c)(3) corporation, is the oldest Civil War battlefield preservation organization in the nation. Among its many preservation efforts, in 1999, the organization acquired, restored and now operates the historic Daniel Lady Farm on Hanover Street in Gettysburg