GDG- Forget The Electric Map

[Chuck May]

Bill,

Thanks for a well-written analysis. We dropped by the Electric Map this
afternoon so we could say that we saw it one last time.

Yep, I fell asleep!

I think that back in the 1960s when I first saw the map its effectiveness
may have derived in part from the fact that it was the only way to get an
overview of the battle. This was, after all, before the tower. 

Chuck May
Gettysburg PA
ChuckMay at may-engineering.com
http://www.may-engineering.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]
On Behalf Of William Nolan
Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008 3:54 PM
To: GDG
Subject: RE: GDG- Forget The Electric Map

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


Nostalgia or learning tool?  Both I think, but today more nostalgia than
learning tool.   I have read that 2.3 million visitors have visited the
Electric Map since 1963.   And why is that?   Two reasons that I can think
of.   First, location.  It is at the Visitor's Center where most visitors
eventually go, and the Visitor's Center is usually their first stop.
Second, it was the only audio/visual presentation available of the
battlefield at the park.   
 
 
What I like about the map is that you can see the entire battlefield and
surrounding area at one glance.   But mostly for me, it was a quiet, dark,
and cool restful place to relax on a hot summer day while exploring
Gettysburg.   I have never visited the Electric Map without experiencing an
overwhelming desire to take a nap.   I have attended the Electric Map
presentation with Boy Scouts, who seemed to enjoy the cool air more than
they enjoyed the presentation.   I recently watched some of the Electric Map
presentation as shown on Youtube, and I immediately got that old sleepy
feeling.
 
 
The new Visitor's Center is a $100 million museum and Visitor's Center.
Why on earth would they want to include an obsolete map using 45 year old
technology in a state-of-the art museum?   I think all of us oldsters hope
that the newer generations will visit Gettysburg and become as interested in
it's history that we did.   I believe the new Visitor's Center, with it's
state-of-the art audio/visual presentations, will grab the attention of our
youth in a way that will be more interesting and entertaining to them than
the Electric Map could.  
 
 
The old Electric Map is destined to go into storage, never to see the light
of day again.   It can never be a profitable venture outside of the environs
of the Visitor's Center.   No one would want to visit the Electric Map
except for nostalgic purposes.    I am looking forward to exploring the new
Visitor's Center later this month and I am sure once I see it I won't miss
the Electric Map.   Maybe some hot summer day in the future when I am
exploring Gettysburg, I will stop at the new Visitor's Center, plop myself
down in a seat, relax and enjoy the dark, coolness of the movie theatre, and
take a short restful nap.
 
Bill Nolan
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