TEST RESULTS!

I know many of you have been wondering how I did on the Licensed Battlefield Guide Exam. I've been wondering too. The wait is over! My score was 213 out of 241 questions (88%). They are taking the top 19 scores. I needed a score of 225 to make the cut. So, alas, I didn't quite make it this year, but not bad for a first try. I'm very pleased with my effort and will take the exam again.

Thanks to all who supported me and wished me luck. Hopefully 2 years from now after the next exam, I'll have slightly different news.

Happy New Year everybody!

Todd

Holiday Greetings from the Doubleday Inn!

In addition to all of us gearing up for the holidays, there is a lot going on in Gettysburg this time of year. We are excited to pass along the schedule for Winter Ranger Programs being held by the Park Service. This is brand new for 2009 and the lectures will be hosted in the beautiful new Museum & Visitor Center. Just like the summer ranger programs, all sessions are FREE and will be hosted by the Park Service's knowledgeable interpretive Rangers. This is an excellent addition to what usually becomes an idle winter encampment here in Gettysburg! Click here to see a complete listing of dates and topics.

And now to some personal happenings…On December 6, Todd sat for the Licensed Battlefield Guide exam. A grueling 3 hours it was! Of the 142 who took the exam, the Park will only accept about 20 people. We will post how Todd did when we get the results. Many, many thanks to Maureen, Ralph, David, Charlie and everyone who helped him to prep for the exam!

This week we had the opportunity to view the Bliss Copy of the Gettysburg Address! Of the five remaining copies written in Lincoln’s hand, this is the only one that is signed by him. It is usually held in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House (not much chance of getting in there), but it is currently on loan to the Smithsonian Institute of American History in Washington D.C. which recently reopened after extensive renovations.

We went on a weekday (finally those innkeeper hours paid off!) and the museum was fairly empty of tourists. At one point it was only us, the Gettysburg Address, and the security guard. We really had the chance to study the document. You can see that Lincoln really took his time, as his penhand is very neat. It was quite a moving experience for us.

We also visited the Grant and Lee exhibit at the New York City Historical Society. The exhibit is very well done. It provides just enough information to explain the actions of the Civil War and follows the two men through their lives. They had some very interesting artifacts including Lee’s sword surrendered at Appomattox and George Washington’s revolver inherited by Lee. Interesting to us, they also had Abner Doubleday’s sketch book from the Mexican War (he was a good artist), and his log book/diary from the Seminole War.

Don’t forget to check out our Specials Page. We have rolled out reduced winter rates through March 19, 2009. We also have detailed information about our package weekends for 2009. Our next one is “Gettysburg 101”. This is an awesome package for first timers to Gettysburg! You will get some really handy information from experienced Licensed Battlefield Guides, which will help you better understand the Battle and the Battlefield as well.



We are looking forward to spending time with our families for the holidays, and then getting down to some painting and carpeting that will be finished over the winter. We wish you all the best as we finish out 2008, and thank you once again for your friendship and support.

Happy Holidays!
Christine, Todd & Molly

Remembrance Day

November 19, 2008 marked the 145th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery and President Lincoln's enduring Gettysburg Address. Coming as it did on the heels of 2008's historic Presidential Election, this year's celebration seemed to have a deeper meaning for many.

Celebrated film maker Ken Burns gave the keynote address focusing on our nation's inimitable ability to recreate ourselves in times of great challenge. He focused on Lincoln's immortal words, and gave a nod to the new "Tall, skinny lawyer from Illinois" who will take up residence in the White House on January 20, 2009.

The U.S. Mint also unveiled the design for a new Lincoln Silver Dollar coin, which will be available in limited quantity early next year. It has a wonderful image of Abraham Lincoln on the front and the last 43 words of the Gettysburg Address on the back. Click here to see a preview of the new coin.

A cold and windy weekend it was, but the weather didn't stop any of the festivities. As always, the 11th PVI reenactors (with Sallie!) performed their wreath laying ceremony at the 11th PA monument across from the Inn. They also read the names of the soldiers killed during the Battle and placed flags in their honor. As you probably well know, this is repeated by other reenactors all over the Battlefield during this weekend of reverence. This year's ceremonial parade saw approximately 3500 reenactors participae in a beautiful display of remembrance for those who fought and died here.

Here is a pic of frequent Inn guest and one of our very favorite reenactors Michael, from New Jersey. Michael is an impressive young man who probably knows more about Civil War and World War II history than the two of us ever will! His enthusiasm is catching. And that's "Iron Mike" to his fellow artillerymen!

Stay tuned for news on the grand opening of the David Wills House, scheduled to occur on February 12, 2009 to honor the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. The Wills house is the home on Gettysburg's Lincoln Square where the President spent the night and put the finishing touches on the now famous Address. The restored home will feature interactive displays as well as the furniture that Lincoln used during his overnight visit.


~Todd

Autumn Happenings

It's hard to believe that we are more than halfway through October already! Autumn is such a busy time here in Gettysburg. Many visitors wait for fall's cooler temperatures and beautiful colors to visit our historic area. We are also having a bumper apple crop this year and visitorship to the National Apple Harvest Festival over the first two weekends of the month exceeded 100,000 people.


September 26th witnessed the Grand Opening of the new Museum and Visitor Center, with the much anticipated unveiling of the Cyclorama Painting. Having undergone the largest conservation effort ever undertaken on the continent, the painting now allows visitors to immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of Pickett's Charge in the way its artist originally intended in 1884. There are reports that veterans of the Battle, upon seeing the Cyclorama for the first time, could not help but weep because of its stunning accuracy and the emotions it evokes.


With the official opening of the painting, the Museum and Visitor Center has changed its admission schedules and now has a flat $7.50/person fee, which enables you to see the introductory film New Birth of Freedom, the Cyclorama Painting, and the 11-gallery Museum for one price. For you die-hards (like us!) there are also discounted multiple day admission passes as well as family passes and yearly passes which allow you multiple entry into all venues. Check out the Gettysburg Foundation's website at http://www.gettysburgfoundation.org/ for full details.



October also saw the grand opening of Adams county's newest vineyard, the Hauser Estate Winery. Located just yards down Cashtown Road from the Round Barn, the winery sits on 170 acres of beautiful rolling hills, and with its glass-enclosed 360 degree tasting room, you can sip your wine while enjoying the gorgeos fall scenery. Hauser Estate is just a 5 minute ride from the farm at the Adams County Winery, so folks can now enjoy a full afternoon of wine appreciation, agricultural education, and beautiful scenery within easy driving distance of the town of Gettysburg! Click on the links for more info on each winery.


Please be sure to check out the "Specials" page of our website as we have posted all of our exclusive Battlefield weekends for 2009. There is literally something for everyone from first time visitors to veteran troopers! These packages make wonderful holiday gifts for the history buff on your list. Please be sure to let us know if you are booking one of our packages as a gift, we will be happy to put together one of our gift cards for you to present to your loved one. Slots are filling quickly so book today to ensure your favorite room and theme weekend.


October, 2008 will go down in our own history books as the Doubleday Inn's busiest month ever since its inception in 1987! We will finish out the month with over 90% occupancy, most of those rooms having been booked over 3 months in advance. We cannot thank you, all of our loyal friends and customers, enough for the success you have helped us to create. We realize how fortunate we are to be living our dream come true in Gettysburg, and we are so fortunate to be able to share that dream with all of you!


Finally, on a personal note, Todd & I were blessed to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary on October 10th. We were able to host a lovely party here at the Inn for family and close friends, and had a gorgeous day in which to enjoy having all of our favorite people (and favorite food!) gathered together in one spot. We drank a toast to many more happy years together, here in our favorite place, Gettysburg.

Hoping you all enjoy the rest of a beautiful Autumn Season!

Christine

Harvest Time!

Sometimes we get these really cool reminders that we happen to live right in the middle of a working farm! Check out these pics from this week showing the hay being mowed and bailed on the Battlefield in front of the Inn. The Park Service leases the fields to local farmers who then get to sell or keep what they harvest. A really neat system, in our opinion, and one that lets you see what the ground could have looked like in 1863 when Farmer Forney tended these fields.

The hay was mowed a bit later than usual this year, owing to the cool and wet month of May that we had. The farmer should still get two cuts out of it though so we will get to watch it grow again through the next several months. I spoke to a native Gettysburgian who told me when she was growing up the kids referred to the finished hay bales as "loaves of bread", which I do think they look like sitting in the warm sun!

We are keeping busy as we head into the "dog days" of summer here in Gettysburg. Over July 25/26th we hosted our "Barksdale & the Peach Orchard" weekend in conjunction with our good friends at the Cashtown Inn. With two delicious meals, four knowledgeable Battlefield guides, two vans of enthusiastic guests and LOTS of cold drinks for the 9 hour+ tour on the field, we managed to have a heck of a good time! With the help of LBG Bob Baker we were able to get an exclusive private tour inside the historic Trostle Barn, which still features scars from the fighting of July 1863. Here is a pic of the famous cannon damage to the side of the barn, from both the outside and the inside. Interesting how the inner damage is more extensive, and also interesting that the Trostle's never felt the need to repair the hole as it simply allows for extra ventilation!

We want to send a very special "Thank You" to my parents Ken & Teresa, and also our friends Linda and Maureen for their help with logistics for the weekend. It is a lot of work to coordinate these events, but it is such a joy to share our love of the Battlefield with all of our dedicated guests who are willing to spend their free time and money learning about and preserving this incredible site.

Plans are well underway for our Day 3 weekend on November 7/8, "The Struggle for Culp's Hill" featuring LBG Sue Boardman. We can't wait! There are still a few spaces available so please call the Inn for further details, or sign up for our mailing list to get first priority notification for all new special events.

Hope you all are having a great summer and staying cool! Hope to see you all soon,

Christine

Summer Ranger Programs

Just a brief note to update everyone on activities here at the National Military Park. The summer ranger programs are in full swing, with hourly demonstrations occurring throughout the park and Visitor Center. Please visit the NPS website for a detailed schedule listing .

Our very favorite programs are the 3:30 pm daily Battle Walks with a Ranger, where you spend a minimum of two hours with a ranger, walking the grounds and studying a particular phase of the fighting during the Battle of Gettysburg. There simply is no substitute for walking the ground here to really gain an understanding of how the events played out.

Click here for a listing of the subjects and rangers scheduled for the daily Battle Walks.

Pictured above is one of our very favorite rangers, Eric Campbell. If you are lucky enough to have your visit to Gettysburg coincide with one of Eric's talks be sure not to miss it!

Also, every evening at 8:30 pm there is a Campfire Discussion held at the McMillan Woods Ampitheather. You can click here for a listing of the discussion topics. Brand new this summer are podcast tours which you can download to your MP3 device and bring with you as you tour the Battlefield...very cool when the 19th and 21st centuries meet! Click here for information on downloading the podcasts and accompanying maps.

The Reynolds Avenue bridge is finally re-opened! They are still completing cosmetic work to the pilings but at least the road is open and the detour signs finally down...good news for all you folks coming in from Pittsburg and points west, you don't have to go the long way around anymore.

We are very busy these last few weeks, gearing up for the 145th Battle Anniversary and Reenactment. Hope you are all having a great summer and that we get to see you soon!

Christine

A very busy and happy May!

How can it be almost June so soon?!?! May has absolutely FLOWN by, with record attendance here at the Inn. Everyone has been enjoying the beautiful Spring weather and all the Gettysburg activities, from Graduation weekend at the college to the huge Memorial Day Weekend soccer tournament. As we get into full swing for the summer season, we are pleased to announce the addition of a walk-up computer for guests' use during your stay at the Inn. We still feature WiFi throughout the house and grounds for your personal laptop, and we now have a computer for everyone to use, located on the second floor hallway near the deck. Guests can check email, view Gettysburg information, and print directions and boarding passes at their leisure.

We have a wonderful new friend to welcome! Our assistant innkeeper Erin, who lucky for us lives very close by, has just brought home a beautiful 8 week old Golden Retriever named Annie...Molly is officially an aunt! Annie is adorable and so very sweet. We are hoping to get lots of good pictures of her in the coming months as she is sure to grow up so fast. Molly is promising to teach her all the ropes when she comes to visit us here at the Inn so she can help to welcome you all when you arrive...knowing Ms. Molly I'm sure she'll also teach her how to scam cookies from the unsuspecting guests!

We've been busy planting annuals in the gardens and the diverse colors are really looking great. The lilacs are done blooming but the many irises and rhododendron are just starting. The peonies have their buds and the ants are doing their work to get them to open up (just an old wives tale supposedly, but it sounds good to me!).

Todd's parents have been an absolute God-send in helping to plant, trim and mulch over the past three weekends. We've also been blessed with good weather to speed us along. As per usual, Molly did an excellent job of supervising, and keeping the squirrels out of the impatiens which they seem to love to dig under.

We had the first hummingbird of the season in late April and to date have seen three different birds at our feeder. The butterflies have found the zinnias and verbena in the garden and are very fun to sit and watch. Before you know it the June bugs will be here, making the Battlefield light up at night.

One final happy note on May...I am very proud to report that I have completed the necessary steps to become a Gettysburg Licensed Town Guide! My written exam was in February, and just this past week I passed the oral exam (thank goodness it's over, I was SO nervous!). The guides are a wonderful group of very knowledgeable people and I am just so proud to be among the ranks with them in sharing the civilian stories of Gettysburg. Guides are available to give tours originating at the Gettysburg Hotel on Lincoln Square from 10 AM to 4 PM daily throughout the summer months, or you may make reservations for a private or specialty tour by phoning (717) 339-6161. You can also visit the Main Street Gettysburg web page for more information at http://www.mainstreetgettysburg.com/.

I sincerely hope that you all are having a wonderful Spring and finding time to do the things that make you most happy. Have a great weekend,

Christine

Lots going on at the Park

Spring is always a dynamic time of year, and 2008 is no exception. Here in Adams County the apple orchards are ablaze in white blossoms. The red bud on the Battlefield is amazing, especially on Little Round Top and the Wheatfield. The dogwoods are in full bloom on the field and throughout town as well.

New signage is being installed throughout the Park to mark road names and the Auto Tour Route, so hopefully it will be a little easier to find your way. Right now we still have some construction happening close to home on Reynolds and Buford Avenues. It will be all over soon and the Day 1 area will be better than ever. The new bridge across the Railroad Cut is coming along well. We're told it will be completed by May 18.

On Buford Avenue, the 6th New York Cavalry monument (Col. Devin) is finally being rebuilt! As you may know, it was struck by lightning last October (which Molly was the first to discover when we went for our evening walk). It had to be partially disassembled as the strike blew out all the mortar on the top half of the monument. They are making quick work of putting the pieces back together, and we hope to see it complete again very soon! Here's a picture taken today showing their progress.

Its been nothing but rave reviews for the new Visitor's Center and Museum which opened on April 14. Visitorship is soaring to record numbers for April. The Park Service reported last week that the average visitor stay in the new facility is 4 hours, up from 90 minutes in the old VC.

In other news, we learned this week that the Park Service has had to push back the estimated opening date of the Will's House from November 2008 to February 2009. As the renovation has progressed more deterioration was discovered than had originally been anticipated, and it will take a bit more time to get everything back into shape before the building can be open to the public. The Grand Opening of the new VC and the re-opening of the Cyclorama is still set for September 2008.

With all the Spring rains I have had my hands full keeping the grass cut the past few weeks. We are gearing up to start planting annuals in the garden this weekend as well, with my Mom coming to lend her green thumb. We hope you'll get a chance to come experience Spring in Gettysburg with us! Have a great week,

Todd

Welcome to our Blog!

As we get into our busy season here in Gettysburg we thought this would be a great way to keep in touch with the people who make our jobs so much fun, all of our wonderful guests. Also, with so much happening in town this season we wanted to create a forum where you can check for all the important information. Many thanks to Christine's sister Michelle for the idea and our web master extraordinaire, Roby for making it work AND look nice!

This week featured much excitement with the long anticipated opening of the new Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor's Center! We were able to tour the center on Monday and were very impressed by the size, layout, and quality of the displays. Even without the Cyclorama painting (which will re-open in September) we spent over two hours in the museum. The new bookstore is wonderful, with a large selection organized by subject which makes it easy to find your favorites. We also had the opportunity to eat at the "Refreshment Saloon" and found the selections to be very tasty and the portions generous. Prices are a bit higher than you will find in town, but it is very convenient if you want to grab a bite while at the Center.

The orientation film "A New Birth of Freedom" is fantastic. It is wonderfully narrated by Morgan Freeman and is visually beautiful as well with panoramic shots of the Battlefield and the monuments. We are proud to report that several still shots from the film as well as three framed pictures in the Visitor Center's entryway were shot by our own longtime and frequent guest, photographer Sean Maloy. You can view his works here on display throughout the Inn and also via his website, American Heritage Photography.


This past weekend we were also happy to host Annette & Emil Grahovac from Austintown, OH. Annette & Emil were the Grand Prize Winners of our 20th Anniversary customer appreciation raffle! For their prize they won a weekend here at the Inn, dinner for two at the historic Cashtown Inn, and two tickets to tour the Cupola at the Lutheran Seminary. They enjoyed fantastic weather the entire weekend and had a great time. They really loved the Cupola tour, which was hosted by Licensed Battlefield Guide and Adams County Historical Society employee Tim Smith. Tim was full of great information during their tour, and the weather enabled them to see for miles from the Cupola. With the nice weather, the couple was also able to get in a few hours of bicycling through the Battlefield. They are already planning their next visit back to Gettysburg, and we can't wait to see them again.
Congratulations to the Grahovac's!

We will close for now but please check often for new posts as we hope to update at least once a week. We would love to hear from all of you, so if you have time please take a minute to add a comment or just say hello! Also please post any questions you might have or any special events you'd like to see us put together for our guests. In the meantime enjoy the beautiful Spring weather and know your friends in Gettysburg are thinking of you. Have a great day!

Christine, Todd & Molly