2024 News

This past weekend, nearly 300 Friends of Gettysburg gathered from across the country at the 34th annual Spring Muster at Gettysburg National Military Park. Spring Muster is one of two annual Muster events hosted by the Gettysburg Foundation at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center and on the Gettysburg battlefield that brings members together for a weekend of Civil War programming and exclusive experiences.Friends of Gettysburg members board their bus in front of the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center for Spring Muster 2024 programming on the Gettysburg battlefield.

The Friends of Gettysburg membership program began as the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg in 1989 and was the original grassroots partner of the National Park Service at Gettysburg. In 2006, the Friends merged with the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation to create the Gettysburg Foundation. Today, the Friends of Gettysburg membership remains the Foundation’s greatest source of individual support through financial donations and volunteering.Gettysburg Foundation Interim President and CEO David Malgee speaks to Guardians Society members.

Upon arriving in Gettysburg Friday, April 19, 2024, members of the Guardians Society, who have included the Gettysburg Foundation in their will or estate plans, attended an exclusive dinner with Gettysburg Foundation Interim President David Malgee and National Park Service Superintendent Kristina Heister. They were then joined with more Friends for an evening program with Gettysburg Foundation President Emeritus and Historian Wayne E. Motts. Programming continued Saturday, April 20 both on the battlefield and in the Museum & Visitor Center, with Licensed Battlefield Guides and Civil War historians from partnering organizations, such as the Seminary Ridge Museum & Education Center.Gettysburg Foundation Interim President and CEO David Malgee (left) and National Park Service Superintendent Kristina Heister shake hands at the podium during Spring Muster presentations.

“The Spring Muster has been a mainstay of the Friends of Gettysburg for nearly 35 years,” said Gettysburg Foundation Friends Membership Program Manager Bethany Yingling. “This event gives our members a chance to reconnect with Friends, learn more about our collective interests and remember those who sacrificed so much for us during the American Civil War. The Gettysburg Foundation staff enjoys providing this opportunity for all our Friends,” added Yinging.Gettysburg Foundation President Emeritus and Historian Wayne E. Motts presents Spring Muster programming.

The highlight of the weekend for many Friends was the exclusive tour of Little Round Top Sunday, April 21 with National Park Service Communications Specialist Jason Martz. First Corps-level members were treated to a tour on the summit of our nation’s iconic battlefield site here in Gettysburg. Throughout the ongoing rehabilitation of Little Round Top, the National Park Service’s top priorities have been safety, accessibility and resource protection to maintain the long-term viability of the site. The site is scheduled to reopen to the public this summer upon the completion of the rehabilitation project.First-Corps level Friends of Gettysburg members enjoy an exclusive visit on the summit of Little Round Top to view rehabilitation in process.

“We have made it our mission to not only ensure that Little Round Top maintains the historic character of July 1863, but also create an experience that is welcoming to all our visitors. Safety and accessibility are now as much intertwined with the site as the history of those who fought on this hallowed ground,” said Martz. “We look forward to welcoming the next generation of visitors to the site to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the sacrifices that took place here.”National Park Service Communications Specialist Jason Martz talks with First Corps-level Friends at Little Round Top.

Joining the Friends of Gettysburg is just one of many ways that passionate visitors and life-long history enthusiasts ensure the continuation of Gettysburg’s legacy. The annual Muster events provide the opportunity for like-minded people to come together at Gettysburg and work towards their education and preservation goals through academic discourse and community. The Gettysburg Foundation will host its next Muster event in autumn with its annual Fall Muster the weekend of October 4-5, 2024.Spring Muster 2024 programming on the Gettysburg battlefield.

To join the Friends of Gettysburg and learn about other ways to support the National Parks at Gettysburg through the Gettysburg Foundation, visit GettysburgFoundation.org or the Friends Desk in the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.