The Gettysburg Quarterly

Superintendent Bob Kirby Takes the Reins

He has already hit the ground running. 

Bob Kirby’s background with 36 years 

of public service, including ten years as 

Superintendent of Petersburg National 

Battlefield, makes him uniquely qualified for his new role as Superintendent 

at Gettysburg National Military Park 

and Eisenhower National Historic Site. 

At Petersburg National Battlefield he 

completed a general management plan, 

implemented battlefield rehabilitation 

projects, created vibrant volunteer programs, managed a national cemetery, 

and was even in negotiations to acquire a 

historically significant train station next 

to the park.

Superintendent Kirby’s priorities include: continuing the success of the 

partnerships with the Gettysburg Foundation, Main Street Gettysburg, and 

others in the Gettysburg community; 

continuing battlefield rehabilitation projects; increasing visitation to Eisenhower 

National Historic Site; planning, coordinating, and promoting the upcoming 

150th of the Civil War; and giving park 

employees the resources they need to accomplish the vital mission of preserving 

the parks unimpaired for future generations and providing for the enjoyment of 

our visitors today. 

“We have an opportunity with the upcoming commemoration of the 150th 

anniversary of the American Civil War to 

make the national parks more relevant,” 

Kirby explains. “Enhancing relevance, 

stewardship of the national parks, education programs in the parks, and improving the training and safety for our 

workforce are four goals of the National 

Park Service director Jon Jarvis -- and I 

heartily endorse them.”

Kirby began his superintendency at Gettysburg NMP and Eisenhower NHS on 

March 1. He had been superintendent of 

Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia since 2001. Previously he had served 

as assistant superintendent at Delaware 

Water Gap National Recreation Area, a 

70,000 acre park located in Pennsylvania 

and New Jersey.

Kirby’s prior assignments include chief 

of interpretation at Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell, Mass. 1990-1995; as 

an environmental protection specialist, 

Defense Logistics Agency, Ogden, Utah 

1986-1990; outdoor recreation director 

with the Department of the Army in West 

Germany, 1983-1986; and assignments as 

a district ranger, sub-district supervisor, 

and interpretive ranger at Golden Gate 

National Recreation Area in San Francisco from 1974 to 1983.

Kirby has a Bachelor of Arts degree in 

Recreation and Leisure Studies and a 

Master of Science degree in Recreation 

and Park Management from San Francisco State University. Bob and his wife, 

Beth, have two children, Megan and 

James.

The official newsletter of Gettysburg National Military Park · Summer 2010 · Vol. 17, No. 2

Superintendent Bob Kirby 

Park News National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior
Gettysburg National Military Park, established 

in 1895, is the site of the great Civil War 

battle that repulsed the second Confederate 

invasion of the North. The mission of the National Park Service at Gettysburg is to preserve 

and protect the resources associated with the 

battle of Gettysburg and the Soldiers’ National Cemetery and provide an understanding 

of the events that occurred there within the 

context of American history. 

Gettysburg National Military Park

1195 Baltimore Pike, Suite 100

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325

Phone

(717) 334-1124 

E-mail

gett_superintendent@nps.gov

The National Park Service cares for the 

special places saved by the American people 

so that all may experience our heritage.

Thanks to a donation from the Apache 

Foundation, contractors at Gettysburg 

National Military Park are replanting 

two more historic orchards this spring. 

The grant is providing orchard trees as 

well as more than 3,000 native hardwood trees to replant missing woods 

that affected the fighting at Culp’s Hill 

and at the Philip Snyder farm. The 

work is part of a long term project to 

return major battle action areas on the 

Gettysburg battlefield to their appearance at the time of the fighting in July 

1863.

The new orchard trees include hardy 

varieties of apple to replant the historic north orchard at the Frey farm and 

the Patterson orchard, both located 

along Taneytown Road. 

 

In 1863, almost every farm of any size 

in Gettysburg had orchards. 

The orchards played many roles during the battle: troops took cover in 

them; they could be used to conceal 

movement; and they were places to 

gather to rest or seek medical assistance.

The Gettysburg Foundation secured 

the donation of trees from the Apache 

Foundation and they are funding the 

planting of all the trees. 

Since 2000, the park has replanted 110 

acres of orchards at 35 historic sites, 

and 43 acres of trees to re-establish 

wooded areas. 

Replanting More Missing Orchards and Woods 

at Gettysburg 

2 The Gettysburg Quarterly

The Gettysburg Foundation is funding 

multiple projects on the battlefield this 

year: burying overhead utility lines in 

the southern portion of the battlefield; 

removing an intrusive restroom building at Devil’s Den; the demolition of 

two recently acquired modern houses 

on located Emmitsburg Road on the 

historic Philip Snyder farm; and removal of the old visitor center parking 

lot on Cemetery Ridge.

To find out more how you can become 

involved contact the Gettysburg Foundation at 717/ 338- 1243 or go to: www.

gettysburgfoundation.org

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

When the Refreshment Saloon in the 

park’s Museum and Visitor Center 

opened in April 2008, the timing could 

not have been better. Aramark, the operator of the restaurant, had recently 

launched a national program for environmental sustainability and Gettysburg’s 

Refreshment Saloon was one of the first 

restaurants to begin operations under the 

new program.

The effort includes all aspects of restaurant’s operations, from preparing and 

serving locally grown foods, to using 

environmentally responsible packaging, 

and serving utensils,” said Brian Stanton, 

manager of the Refreshment Saloon. 

“We also have energy efficient equipment 

and lighting, and recycling programs.”

An Earth-Friendly Dining Experience at 

the Refreshment Saloon 

Refreshment Saloon Manager Brian Stanton

Continued on page 3
In March the park acquired a two acre property with two 

modern houses located along Emmitsburg Road on what 

was the Philip Snyder farm. The modern houses block the 

sight lines that offered Union artillery in the Peach Orchard firing lines into the Confederate advance on July 2, 

1863. The houses also block the Confederate artillery sight 

lines toward the Union position at the Peach Orchard. The 

Civil War Preservation Trust provided crucial funding and 

assistance for the purchase of the property.

Standing at Little Round Top today visitors looking out 

over the battlefield can see almost all of the major battlefield features that affected the fighting in 1863: the open 

rocky slopes of Devil’s Den and the fields crossed by 

Hood’s and McLaws’ men – and these two brick houses 

sticking out in the middle. Soon the park will be removing these two houses, with special funding provided by the 

Gettysburg Foundation. 

The two houses will join a long and growing list of modern 

intrusions that the park has been able to remove from the 

battlefield, including the old park visitor center, the Home 

Sweet Home Motel, the Ford dealership on the first day’s 

fields just north of town, and -- who can forget? -- the 

National Tower. 

The view from Little Round Top of two houses along Emmitsburg Road that 

will soon be demolished to return the area to its appearance at the time of 

the fighting in 1863.

Park Acquires Houses on Emmitsburg Road

The Gettysburg Quarterly 3

Stanton is an important player in Gettysburg’s 

growing movement to eat local. Salads in the 

Refreshment Saloon are produced by WinterGardens in New Oxford, Pa. The ham and franks are 

provided by Kunzler’s in Lancaster, Pa. As often as 

he can get them, Stanton serves apples and other 

fresh fruits from just up the road in Gardners, Pa. 

“Sourcing some of these locally grown foods 

can be difficult, so we’re not yet at one hundred 

percent on all of our sustainability efforts,” said 

Stanton. “We are trying though, and we are getting there more and more.” 

“Providing local foods in our restaurant achieves 

our goals in two ways: first by improving the 

sustainability of local agriculture and also because 

it lessens our carbon footprint,” said Stanton.

Next time you stop to have lunch in the Refreshment Saloon you might start to notice a few of 

these subtle choices. Serving bowls and plates 

are made of sugarcane, a compostable material. 

Many of the “plastic” containers are actually a 

compostable corn product. All of the paper napkins are made from 100 percent recycled material. 

All the coffee is sustainable, fairly-traded, and 

organically grown by Starbucks.

In addition to the earth-friendly efforts of the 

Refreshment Saloon, the entire new Museum and 

Visitor Center is environmentally-friendly in many 

ways. The facility was designed to meet certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental 

Design (LEED) as determined by the U.S. Green 

Building Council. It has a geothermal heating and 

cooling system, energy efficient equipment and 

design, and many natural landscaping and storm 

water management features. 

Launched in February 2010, the website already 

has more than three dozen events, ranging from 

battle re-enactments, parades, anniversaries and 

special programming. 

Gettysburg National Military Park, the Gettysburg 

CVB, and a host of community groups have banded together under the leadership of Main Street 

Gettysburg to create “Gettysburg 20/20,” a community planning effort to enhance Gettysburg’s 

economic vitality and historic preservation.

Although the official 150th anniversary for the 

Battle of Gettysburg is July 1-3, 2013, Gettysburg’s 

commemoration will run from 2011 to 2015. The 

Gettysburg CVB is estimating that visitation will 

spike from Gettysburg’s three million annual visitors, to four million in 2013.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania also has a 

website with statewide special event and program 

information for the Civil War 150th. To learn more 

visit: www.PACivilWar150.com

The Civil War 150th

continued from page 4

Earth-Friendly Dining

continued from page 2
4 The Gettysburg Quarterly

What’s in Store for the Civil War 150th?

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Gettysburg National Military Park

1195 Baltimore Pike, Ste. 100

Gettysburg, PA 17325

Gettysburg National Military Park 

(NMP) is joining all other Civil War 

sites and a wide variety of community 

partners in commemorating the 150th 

anniversary of the American Civil War. 

The National Park Service theme for the 

commemoration is: “Civil War to Civil 

Rights: Experience Your America, 2009-

2015.” 

As Gettysburg NMP begins to formulate 

specific plans, the park is looking forward to the opportunity to engage new 

audiences and tell stories beyond the 

battlefield – connecting people to the 

experiences of civilians and the struggle 

of African-Americans toward freedom 

and equality. 

The Gettysburg Convention & Visitors 

Bureau (CVB) is taking the lead in marketing the many community events that 

are planned and they have launched a 

website to share travel and event information to the millions of visitors that 

are expected. The new website – www.

gettysburgcivilwar150.com – includes 

visitor information and listings of all 

events associated with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The website is 

a companion of the Gettysburg CVB’s 

website – www.gettysburg.travel – 

where visitors can find information on 

accommodations, places to eat, entertainment, shopping and other events in 

the Gettysburg and Adams County area.

“The new website will really be a onestop shop for the millions of people 

we expect to visit during the four-year 

anniversary of the Civil War,” said Norris Flowers, President of the Gettysburg 

CVB. “There will be hundreds of events 

over these four years and it is vital that 

our visitors have a place where they 

can plan their trips to the most famous 

battle site of the Civil War.”

Continued on page 3

E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C ATM