Construction at Devil's Den 4-15-22

[MRB1863]

We visited Gettysburg yesterday (4-15-22) and here are some photos of the construction at Devil's Den. As you will see pathways and steps are being redone to provide easier access. Some of the eroded areas are also under restoration...

 

[Artillary_Addict_CSA]

Has anyone tried to go up there? according to the website South Confederate Avenue, Wright Avenue and Sykes Avenue were going to be closed. Didn't know if i would have access to BRT or the Devils Kitchen when I came for my shopping trip next month.

 

[MRB1863]

Yes, it is open to walk behind DD a little further up Houck's Ridge direction. The rocks and pathways directly at DD are what is closed.

 

[Joe Whitworth]

Wonder if anything good has popped up in the soil? I know if I was operating some of that equipment would keep an eye peeled and stroll around with my eyes to the ground at lunch time. I know, I know it's against the law to keep it but a fellow can dream can't he

 

[UCVRelics]

Wonder if anything good has popped up in the soil? I know if I was operating some of that equipment would keep an eye peeled and stroll around with my eyes to the ground at lunch time. I know, I know it's against the law to keep it but a fellow can dream can't he

If I was working there they would have to strip search me at the end of the day

 

[infomanpa]

Wonder if anything good has popped up in the soil? I know if I was operating some of that equipment would keep an eye peeled and stroll around with my eyes to the ground at lunch time. I know, I know it's against the law to keep it but a fellow can dream can't he

If I was working there they would have to strip search me at the end of the day

I'm guessing that it's been picked clean over all the years of millions of people crawling all over that place.

 

[UCVRelics]

I'm guessing that it's been picked clean over all the years of millions of people crawling all over that place.

There is still stuff to be found especially when the ground is disturbed. I have relic hunting for many years at a lot of battlefields and even though the relics come out of the ground less and less there are still relics to be found.

 

[infomanpa]

There is still stuff to be found especially when the ground is disturbed. I have relic hunting for many years at a lot of battlefields and even though the relics come out of the ground less and less there are still relics to be found.

I'm sure that you are right for battlefields in general, but in the case of DD, I was thinking that the number of relic hunters and visitors has been exponentially larger than the typical battlefield and therefore finding stuff would be less likely.

 

[Tony Z]

I would also wager that the ground directly near DD has been graded/regraded/worked through the years so many times, that relics might be scarce. My interest would be more towards what remains to be found under/within the rock formations. Maybe the skeleton of the "Devil" (huge snake)?

 

[Joe Whitworth]

I'm sure that you are right for battlefields in general, but in the case of DD, I was thinking that the number of relic hunters and visitors has been exponentially larger than the typical battlefield and therefore finding stuff would be less likely.

Nobody gets it all

 

[lupaglupa]

Thanks for sharing these! It will be interesting to see how different it is, if at all, when they are done

 

[Tony Z]

Thanks for sharing these! It will be interesting to see how different it is, if at all, when they are done

The NPS does a superb job of accomplishing modernization without destroying the fabric of sites. I particularly like how GB has been updated to appearances of July 1863, permitting us the view that the North & South experienced during the battle. Of course, I do have to add that I much preferred the original visitor center (the Rosensteel building) over the new center (out of scale/large to the surroundings).

Devil's Den was desperately in need of sidewalks and steps repairs, along with updated/increased parking.

 

[James N.]

The NPS does a superb job of accomplishing modernization without destroying the fabric of sites. I particularly like how GB has been updated to appearances of July 1863, permitting us the view that the North & South experienced during the battle. Of course, I do have to add that I much preferred the original visitor center (the Rosensteel building) over the new center (out of scale/large to the surroundings).

Devil's Den was desperately in need of sidewalks and steps repairs, along with updated/increased parking.

Agreed; seen here in a Centennial-era postcard when it still housed the Rosensteel collection its main drawback was probably a lack of suitable and nearby parking and dependence on its "satellite" Cyclorama building which had also served as NPS headquarters even earlier.

 

[Tony Z]

I first visited the old visitor center in August 1963 and always loved how the artifacts were displayed, particularly the cannon barrels standing on end. I made a point of visiting it immediately prior to its closing and sitting through the "Electric Map" presentation several times.

 

[carptrash]

I know, I know it's against the law to keep it but a fellow can dream can't he

Or you don't have to keep it.

 

[carptrash]

The statue shown there is the 4th New York Independent Battery by the prolific sculptor, Casper Buberl.

 

[Package4]

I'm sure that you are right for battlefields in general, but in the case of DD, I was thinking that the number of relic hunters and visitors has been exponentially larger than the typical battlefield and therefore finding stuff would be less likely.

Believe it or not, in the mid 70's when I was a kid, my uncle was an electrical engineer for US Boat doing sonar work for the sub fleet. He built a fairly sophisticated metal detector and we just had to try it out. Off we go to Gettysburg naively unaware of the law....we were detecting between the Angle and the PA monument. You could not move an inch without finding a bullet, part of a bayonet, horse bit, artillery chain or buckle. I would imagine the same at Devil's Den, maybe more so.

A park ranger came lumbering out of the maintenance area behind the ridge and told us he knew we were fairly ignorant of the regs and gave us a break. He asked what we found and as I was holding a snaffle bit, said "just this", he chuckled looked at my Marine fatigues that looked like jodhpurs with all of the pockets full, told us who to contact if we wanted to legally hunt in the area.

The real sad part of the story, my mom threw out all that we found 5 years later when I went off to school, along with my baseball cards.........

 

[James N.]

The statue shown there is the 4th New York Independent Battery by the prolific sculptor, Casper Buberl.

It looks pretty forlorn now - hopefully it'll once again resume its former striking appearance:

 

[USS ALASKA]

We visited Gettysburg yesterday (4-15-22) and here are some photos of the construction at Devil's Den. As you will see pathways and steps are being redone to provide easier access. Some of the eroded areas are also under restoration...

Sir, the blue porta-potty in your pics...did you notice if they had a gray one also?


USS ALASKA

 

[MRB1863]

Sir, the blue porta-potty in your pics...did you notice if they had a gray one also?


USS ALASKA

Sadly, no...they will just have to hold it 'til they get home..."Don't make me stop this wagon!!!"