The Return of Gettysburg’s Electric Map

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If you are a Gettysburg enthusiast of a certain age than you likely have fond memories of the Electric Map, which first served as the centerpiece of the Rosensteel Museum and was later included in the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum. For many visitors it offered a helpful orientation to the three-day battle, but it was dismantled to make way for the new visitor center and placed in storage. I wrote about this decision back in 2008.

The Electric Map recently came out of retirement and has been acquired by Hanover, Pennsylvania businessman and entrepreneur Scott Roland, who restored it using modern wiring and LED lights. The map is now on display at the Hanover Heritage Center, where you can enjoy it at the price of $8 for adults and $4 for children/students. Roland hopes to use it to highlight Hanover’s local history and its connection to the larger Gettysburg Campaign.

I admit to have only seen it once during my first visit to Gettysburg back in the 1990s. Certainly, I can appreciate its usefulness as a teaching tool at one point, but I am skeptical that the map has much value beyond the nostalgic appeal that it holds for a certain generation. Of course, I may be wrong.

What do you think?

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37 comments… add one
  • Stefan Jul 2, 2023 @ 8:29

    Together with a colleague from another school, I brought ‘American History’ students from Canada to Gettysburg on our way to or from Washington D.C. A highlight of the trip for many was the electric map. It was a valuable teaching tool. It’s one thing to read about the battle in a book or see it on video. It’s something else completely to tour the battlefield AFTER one has seen the troop movements on the electric map. As George has already stated, “The Electric Map provided both the framework to create clarity out of all the information.” It gave a person a bird’s eye view which was really helpful once one got out on the battlefield. As for your comment, Keven, that “It certainly captivated a generation”, I take that to mean that younger folks wouldn’t appreciate it or appreciate it as much. If that what you meant, that wasn’t my experience; the large majority of my students enjoyed it and found it useful to their understanding of what happened. They also appreciated seeing something ‘old school’ that they don’t normally get to see. I hope the visitor’s centre has or will replace the electric map with something interactive that also gives the same type of bird’s eye overview as the map did.

  • William West Mar 23, 2023 @ 8:59

    I seen the electric map in my late twenties. I’m now in my 70’s. To me, it was a good introduction to the troop movements and key locations of the 3 day battle. So, I think it’s a good thing that it’s back in operation.

  • Peter Good Jan 18, 2023 @ 9:18

    I’m excited to see what its return brings, both for students and history buffs alike!

  • Brian Epp Dec 20, 2022 @ 12:54

    I am truly looking forward to visiting Seminary Ridge Museum soon and seeing The Return of Gettysburg’s Electric Map for myself!

  • George Aug 29, 2022 @ 13:20

    While the “new” National Park Service visitor center has a marvelous, sight and sound Cyclorama battle presentation, it fails to present a comprehensive, geographical battlefield map that shows the sequence of events from July 1-3. In short, the electric map’s departure to Hanover is a blunder on par with Lee’s failures to clearly communicate and coordinate joint attacks on Federal forces in a timely manner. Nothing in the Visitor Center replaces it. For those visitors who have not extensively studied the flow of battle or terrain upon which the armies fought and died, no map is a major loss. This is especially obvious when one hears the questions that visitors ask during and after the Cyclorama presentation.

    • Kevin Levin Aug 29, 2022 @ 13:40

      I understand your point, but the EM simply took up too much room. Most visitors don’t need the kind of detail to what happened on the battlefield beyond an overall understanding of each day. There are plenty of really good videos that visitors can watch online that do into detail. Thanks for the comment.

      • George Aug 29, 2022 @ 17:08

        I walked through the parking lot at the National Park Service visitor center today. There were license plates from every state in the Union, and more plates from Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi…CSA states…than local Pennsylvania plates. Visitors from Utah, California, even Canada too. I surmise that those visitors driving hundreds, some thousands of miles did so because they have a keen interest in Civil War history. It certainly would be easier to stay home and watch a video of the battle, but these buffs choose to come to the battlefield. Tour the museum bookstore, and you may find volumes upon volumes that “take up too much space”, but the visitors buy them. Casual and serious buffs make the decisions as to the extent they wish to immerse themselves in the details.
        Many roads lead into Gettysburg. Baltimore and Emmitsburg Pikes, York Road, Chambersburg and Carlilse Roads, Taneytown Road. The convergence of these roads alone had bearing on the forces that they brought to bear on July 1, 1863. The topography, the mountains, ridges, hills , streams, railroad cuts were used by the defenders to their advantage, while command decisions made or not were greatly impacted by terrain. There is alot to absorb. The Electric Map provided both the framework to create clarity out of all the information. It slowed the progression of battle over 3 days, grounded to the battlefield. That starts with the South entering the field from the North, the North from the South, and moves forward to the High Tide in a way that best illustrates why the attack across a mile of open field against an artillery fortified Cemetery Ridge was a glorious failure. Is this detail, or broad strokes? How many of us, visitors to the battlefield, had an “I see it, I get it moment”, compliments of the Electric Map? Let those that have benefited by the eagle’s eye view that the map, casual observers or serious buffs decide if it was worth the 50 cent investment. Another “I get it” for sure.

        • Kevin Levin Aug 30, 2022 @ 15:37

          It certainly captivated a generation.

      • Janine Riley Nov 21, 2022 @ 18:11

        Totally agree with George. You got a wonderful feel for the ebb and flow of the battle over the three days. You are missing a wonderful educational tool.

  • James Berdy Aug 3, 2022 @ 8:02

    In the mid 60s, perhaps 1966 0r 67, while in the PA Army National Guard my unit did a bivouac on the Gettysburg grounds for a few days. That was when I visited battleground history sites and of course the impressive electric map. Good to hear it has been saved and upgraded.

  • Sean Mitchell May 5, 2022 @ 9:45

    I loved the Electric Map. I lived in Maryland for 50 years and, over that time, I was defacto Gettysburg tour guide to any family and friends who would visit. Our first stop was always the Electric Map. Everyone I took there commented on how useful it was for them to understand the battle and provide context to the battlefield sites. It is beyond my comprehension why the NPS was willing to trash such a valuable education tool but I am delighted that it was saved.

  • Randy James Feb 25, 2022 @ 14:50

    During my 4 years at the Pentagon, I think I visited Gettysburg about 18-20 times, usually talking family, friends, and many official foreign visitors. I insisted we all go pay the $.50 to see the Electric Map each time. It was low-tech, and kind of “hokie,” but as Priscilla says at the top, it was FANTASTIC! It was the best way to see the topography in particular and to get a good feel for how the armies and various units moved throughout the battle. I am so glad that it found a home and I hope the $8 fee doesn’t scare people off – it is well worth it!

  • Patricia Sicilia Aug 29, 2020 @ 5:48

    I think it’s a WONDERFUL educational experience! I totally disagree w your opinion.

  • Donna Munn Feb 21, 2019 @ 18:47

    My husband wanted to see Gettysburg and we finally went. Thankfully we saw the electric map first. And I was able to orient myself and understand better, as we traveled the battlefield. Otherwise I don’t think I would have understood what I was looking at. That was in 1993.
    In 2012, I took my grand daughters to Gettysburg. Unfortunately the electric map was down. I regret that, as it may have helped them visuallize the area better. But it was something one wanted to see.
    Glad to hear it’s back, if I get there again.
    FYI, there is one at Ft McHenry if youu can catch it working. Good place to visit anyway.

  • Patrick Jennings Aug 31, 2016 @ 10:46

    Sorry for the double post, but I happened to remember that The Horse Soldier (you all know who I’m talking about) sell a DVD recreation the the electric map program! You can buy it here…http://www.horsesoldier.com/products/stock-items/12960. It costs more than a visit to Hanover…but then again it costs less than having a family of four see the real one!

    • Kevin Levin Aug 31, 2016 @ 10:47

      Are you getting a commission for this? 🙂 Thanks, Patrick.

  • Patrick Jennings Aug 31, 2016 @ 10:38

    About seventeen years ago I was working for the NPS and our mission was to help sort and evaluate the Gettysburg museum collection for storage while they destroyed the old Rosensteel building and built the new center. Our work location was in the basement right below the Electric Map. For days we listened over-and-over to the narration. For a long time I had it memorized. In fact, there was one light that had come out from it’s hole and would blink on and off. At some point I simply climbed on the table and pushed the little light where it belonged.

    I remember when the map appeared on a government auction site. Kind of sad and forlorn sitting in two or three shipping containers. Because of the large amount of asbestos in the thing I though it was doomed, so I am glad someone picked it up. I think $8 admission is a reach, but I would certainly recommend it for nostalgia sake.

  • Rich Lander Aug 30, 2016 @ 9:50

    The electric maps help me with the overall perspective, which I can then use to understand the individual engagements while touring the field. The same has been true for me with American Revolution battlefields.

  • Ryan A Aug 29, 2016 @ 13:47

    There is/was a video of the complete Electric Map presentation on YouTube somewhere I found. It was great to re-live it again – I last saw it live in 2002 and when I returned in ’08, it was only on display at the new center. I think it’s a nostalgia thing more than anything. Most people today may not get much more out of it considering the way our preferred mediums have changed. I remember as a kid, enjoying it not necessarily for the information it gave me (partly because at that age, it was hard keeping my attention) but for the novelty of it and that old visitor center on Cemetery Ridge.

    I will say this – it had a kind of “authority” in the way it told the story. I can’t describe it exactly, but there was this feeling that this was the real thing in a way, the real story of the battle, even if it’s from 10,000 feet up. Of course, I think I speak for everyone when I say that the little campfires that popped up while they dimmed the lights just added to the atmosphere. Such an enjoyable little display.

  • Buck Buchanan Aug 29, 2016 @ 11:11

    I answered on your Twitter so I will dive in here. I am like the majority in these comments. I am a big advocate of the Electric Map. Cheezy, yes. Some errors, yes. But I found it to be an invaluable tool when leading first time groups on tours and staff rides of Gettysburg. I lead a multitude of varied groups from Boy Scout Troops to military officers. It was a quick and easy way to get folks oriented to the ground and major disposition of forces. Then when we were walking the battlefield tour members would often associate our place on the ground to the map. I had one trip of NATO officers who I took to see the map. A British colonel and Belgian lieutenant colonel both said though they had studied the battle for years seeing the map helped them better understand the battlefield.

    Not to mention it was a handy reference if you are touring in snow or fog…as I have done.

    As others, I am a spatial learner…that could be from my years as an Infantry Officer. When I pick up a battle history the first thing I look for is the listing of maps in the book. And when I read I use 3 bookmarks….one for end notes, one for the page I am on and one for the applicable map. And love the CWTs printable maps…use them all the time. Also love Hal Jesperson’s … http://www.cwmaps.com/freemaps.html

  • HankC Aug 29, 2016 @ 7:38

    This is an interesting part of the battle’s (and war’s) historical depiction.

    At first there were paintings and written descriptions in newspapers and magazines (did they print maps?).

    The photography revolution matured with battlefield scenes.

    After the war came cycloramas, giving life-size 360-degree detail, the publication of the Official records and map atlas and the numerous paintings in state capitols and other public places.

    The 20th century saw more cycloramas and electric maps. I once saw a portion of a depression-era display in the Valley where lead soldiers depicted the battle of Winchester and moved in real-time via an under-table clockwork mechanism.

    In the 1960s, the Avalon Hill Gettysburg game ($3 at Toys’R’Us!) appeared. It was completely unrealistic except for the map and the units.

    Today the maps tend to use diodes depicting movement and battle action and of course there’s modern computer graphics.

    One could do quite a study of the history of battlefield depictions.

    • Richard Keyes Sep 6, 2017 @ 15:38

      I loved the Electric Map. First saw it in 1971 when I was 14 on an 8th grade field trip. I enjoyed that trip so much that I managed to convince my parents to take our whole family to Gettysburg in June of that year and we started our trip with a visit to see it. Later that summer I purchased the Avalon Hill Gettysburg game (’64 edition) and my brothers and I played it endlessly for weeks thereafter, and on and off again for many years to come. (I still have that game, by the way.) I also saw the map again at least 2-3 more times in the late ’80s – early ’90s with my wife and young children, and we always started those trips with a visit to see the map before going on the various tours, etc. I happy to hear that it has been saved – I will definitely take a trip down to Hanover to see it sometime in the near future (I live about an hour away from there).

  • Michael Aubrecht Aug 29, 2016 @ 6:20

    I fondly remember the map and was thankful that I got to see it shortly before it was moved. I remember my father commenting to me as a boy that the map did an excellent job at presenting the positions of the different lines (especially the fish hook formation). It put the overall scale of the battle in perspective. I am not sure about the new location but I would personally go out of my way to experience it again.

  • Bill Aug 29, 2016 @ 5:27

    Interesting. I just stumbled on your website. Also just returned from a brief visit to Gettysburg, where I lived from 1980-1993 (ages 5-18). My parents still live there. I used to love the Electric Map as a kid. I worked in the tour industry for a few years as a teenager. Yesterday, I learned about the “Witness Tree” markers for the first time I can remember. I agree with the other commenters it was a great way to orient people quickly to the lay of the land and the battle.

    • Kevin Levin Aug 29, 2016 @ 5:29

      Hi Bill,

      Thanks for dropping by and for taking the time to leave a comment.

  • Christopher Graham Aug 28, 2016 @ 10:07

    Can’t speak to the Gettysburg map, but these sorts of maps are fantastic for folks like me who need to grasp the flow of the battles on the landscape to really understand what’s going on. In fact, I dropped in on the Gaines Mill/Cold Harbor visitor center the other day and they’ve got a pretty great led map for those battles that went further in helping me figure out how the geography of Henrico/Hanover/Chichahominy defined the Seven Days fighting. I’m a spatial learner so I don’t pick it up so easily from reading or even from static maps. Guess this is why I love those Civil War Trust animated maps so much.

  • Shoshana Bee Aug 28, 2016 @ 9:08

    Oh dear: I have 20 days to weigh this decision to see or not to see this contraption! Since I don’t want to squander a moment of my inaugural trip to Gettysburg, Hanover would have to have more allure than the map. There is the cost, of course: $8 can purchase 4 days worth of MREs consisting of baguette & salami or pre-packed, ready mixed tuna salad + crackers, water & grapes. I dunno, were talking sacrifices of food intake vs the map. Makes me hungry just thinking about it; I guess I know where my priorities are 🙂

    • Kevin Levin Aug 28, 2016 @ 9:11

      You are certainly an interesting test case. Let us know what you decide and have a great trip.

  • Ben Butina Aug 28, 2016 @ 8:11

    If memory serves, it was ugly but useful. Pretty much the opposite of the movie offered in the current Visitor’s Center.

  • bob carey Aug 28, 2016 @ 6:12

    I first saw the map back in the late seventies and I always thought it was a good orientation to the first time visitor, however, to the professional historian and the serious buff (I include myself in the latter) the map is not as useful as a source of information.
    I think that it is going to take a marketing genius to get your average tourist to go to Hanover to see the map. That being said the next time I’m in G’burg I’ll probably take a trip over.

  • Terry Beckenbaugh Aug 28, 2016 @ 6:04

    Yes, Kevin, guilty as charged. I do have great sentimental attachment to the Electric Map. As a boy who grew up about 30 minutes from Gettysburg, we went to the battlefield multiple times a summer alone, and every trip started with an Electric Map session. I do think it has educational value, but wondered about the Hanover venue (disclaimer: I have not seen it since it reopened). But beggars can’t be choosers.

    • Kevin Levin Aug 28, 2016 @ 6:07

      Hi Terry.

      Nothing to be ashamed about. 🙂 I think we all can identify things for which nostalgia drives the attraction. For me it’s 80s arcade games.

  • Garry Adelman Aug 28, 2016 @ 5:30

    Its new location is indeed a problem as it cannot easily serve most visitors Eager for help in advance of their battlefield experience. Still, as an educational tool I can say that the hundreds of thousands if not millions of people who saw it were better prepared to see and understand the battlefield on their tour then those who did not. Every visitor I ever took on a battlefield tour who had seen the map before their tour knew where Cemetery Hill was, knew what the peach orchard was and remembered certain flashing lights that resonated on the tour. There has truly been no quick and easy replacement for the map ever since it left. It was out of date and cheesy and even included some questionable historic script but it was the sole thing I used to have people see before a tour.

    • Kevin Levin Aug 28, 2016 @ 5:40

      Hi Garry. Location is indeed an issue.

      You make a compelling case for the map’s usefulness in orienting visitors. I also think you make a compelling case for a miniaturized landscape as a form of orientation as opposed to a film or touch screen. Am I to interpret this as pointing to certain inadequacies that you see in the new visitor center’s exhibits? Thanks.

      • Garry Adelman Aug 29, 2016 @ 2:59

        I’ll just say that the “new” Museum (for which by disclaimer I was in charge of collecting the 900 hi-res images in the exhibits and I also fact-checked the script) does not offer a quick vehicle to prepare visitors about to hit the field. The Electric Map was great for that purpose.

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