Family Protests Handling of Donated Civil War Relics

Those who love 81-year-old Angela Eckert say she bleeds red, white and blue.

Ignoring well-intentioned nudges from friends, Eckert and her family didn’t ask for a dime in 1971 when they gave the U.S. government a trove of Civil War artifacts, from bloody Army-issue knives to gleaming silver rifles.

Her only request was that the items, which she now values at $50 million, be displayed and preserved for future generations.

“It’s called patriotism,” she recalls telling her friends.

Now, sitting thoughtfully in her rocking chair, Eckert says her faith may have been misplaced.

Eckert, whose family owned property near the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, claims the National Park Service has tried to rouse support for a new, high-tech visitor center by showcasing the mistreatment of artifacts instead of simply taking care of them.

Until a temporary building is constructed, the artifacts, which are the cornerstone of the nation’s largest treasure of Civil War memorabilia, are slowly decaying in a cold, musty cellar.

Such is the price of naivete when dealing with the federal government, says Eckert, who sued for the return of the items last March. She says the family would keep the collection and care for it properly if her lawsuit is successful. She would consider dropping the case if the government would just apologize.

“They just wanted a new building, so they have to show that the one they have now is falling apart,” Eckert said. “The damage being done to the artifacts is irreparable. They’re playing a sort of game, and it’s just left me heartbroken.”

While Eckert’s suit was pending, Gettysburg National Military Park did receive approval for a new $39.3-million visitor center. The current visitor center once was Eckert’s family home.

The current plan for the center calls for construction of a museum and visitor center at the park in conjunction with the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation, a nonprofit foundation, said park spokeswoman Katie Lawhon. The center will also contain a 6,000-square-foot store, which will sell books and educational materials, and a 250-seat cafe, she said.

The plan also calls for restoration of the battlefield’s landscapes, including the site of the visitor center, to conditions more similar to those in 1863.

The foundation will pay for the complex, then donate the museum to the government in 20 years.

Lawhon said park officials love the artifacts just as intensely as Eckert and defends the new visitor center as the best way to protect the battlefield’s history.

“We all want to see these artifacts protected,” Lawhon said. “Some park superintendents might have thrown up their hands and said this is the best we can do with the money we’re given. But the park has found a creative way to pay for a new center that will be able to protect the artifacts and honor the men and women who died here. Until then, we’re doing the best we can.”

Lawhon says that the artifacts will be put in a temporary facility in March. Eckert says the park decided to build the temporary building only because of her lawsuit.

The current visitor center, a red-brick house built on a hill, sits on property that was owned by her family during the battle of Gettysburg. Eckert’s ancestors, the Rosensteels, started the collection by picking up items from the battlefield after the fighting had ended.

After donating the artifacts, Eckert’s husband, Larry, was a curator for 20 years. Mrs. Eckert said the park hasn’t followed through on verbal promises to buy heaters and dehumidifiers.

No one contests that the articles are being stored in poor conditions.

Park officials say that 92% of the artifacts are deteriorating “slowly but surely.” The humidity is often as much as 10% above what the government outlines as acceptable.

A white film of mold grows on several leather holsters in the storage room. Documents signed by Abraham Lincoln warp because of the changing temperatures.

“We’ve done the best we can with the funds that the government gives us,” said curator Paul Shevchuk. “People love museums, but they seldom want to pay for it.”

But John Fenstermacher, who represents Eckert, says the park never performed any upkeep on the visitor center and then brought legislators to tour the premises.

“This was all about convincing politicians and businessmen that they need more money,” Fenstermacher said. “But meanwhile, a great disservice is being perpetrated against the artifacts that Mrs. Eckert willingly gave to the government for protection. It’s the worst kind of abuse of patriotism.”

The Battle of Gettysburg, considered the turning point in the Civil War, was a three-day campaign in which Union forces turned back Confederate troops that had advanced onto Northern soil.

Losses were among the war’s heaviest: Of 88,000 Union troops, 23,000 were killed. Of the 75,000 Confederate troops, more than 20,000 were killed.

Gettysburg park officials say money for artifact preservation is a problem at parks nationwide.

Officials at Thomas Edison National Historic Site in West Orange, N.J., and at Longfellow National Historic Site in Cambridge, Mass., say they desperately need money to protect precious documents.

“Potholes at Yellowstone often get the most attention,” Shevchuk said. “But the preservation of these artifacts takes millions and millions of dollars.”

Eckert says she just wants the government to do its duty.