Blogs > 37th Frame

Photography, notes, commentary and much more from Reporter Online Editor Chris Stanley.

Monday, May 5, 2008

General Hancock


I had the chance to check out the new visitor center at Gettysburg National Park over the weekend. I was very impressed with this brand-new facility, which takes visitors through each day of the three-day Gettysburg battle with a mixture of History Channel-produced videos, written material and a first-class collection of relics. You get a real feel not only for what happened in those three, bloody days in July, 1863, but a good explanation of the events that led up to that battle and what it meant to our country long after the war.
If you go (and I highly recommend that you do), plan to spend several hours at this excellent museum. It's lively enough to keep the attention of Sponge-Bob soaked kids, and detailed enough to hold the interest of history buffs.
Above is the flag that flew over General Winfield Scott Hancock's command tent. Hancock, who was born in a house near where Costco is in Montgomeryville and is the namesake of Hancock Street, was one of the Civil War leaders who distinguished himself at Gettysburg.

After the war he ran for president, and lost by only a very slim margin to James Garfield.


Evan and Chris Stanley during a hike at Devil's Den in Gettysburg