Blogging about the Civil War will soon commence at Gettysburg National Military Park, where officials hope to use some of the latest media trends to educate people on the war between the states.

From the Fields of Gettysburg

This will be a weekly blog by park rangers and historians that will explore a wide variety of history topics and park news.

"From the Fields of Gettysburg will be a wonderful resource for people anywhere in the world who want to know more about what happened here, and why it’s so important even today," said Scott Hartwig, a supervisory historian at Gettysburg. "We can blog year-round, in any weather, and our visitors don’t even need to be in Gettysburg to participate."

Along with Mr. Hartwig, numerous park historians and rangers will be contributing regularly, including Angie Atkinson, Matt Atkinson, Bert Barnett, Troy Harman, John Heiser, Tom Holbrook, Evangelina Rubalcava, and Karlton Smith. Katie Lawhon will write about park news and management issues.

The Gettysburg School Bus – a blog for Educators

This will be a monthly blog that aims to link teachers with park rangers who might be able to offer answers for classroom questions, new ideas for teaching units in the classroom, bulletin boards, paper and project ideas, and cross-curricular connections with other teachers. Barbara Sanders, the park’s education specialist, is the blogger.

The blogs will debut on April 12 on the park website at www.nps.gov/gett.

Although the official 150th anniversary for the Battle of Gettysburg is July 1-3, 2013, Gettysburg’s commemoration will run from 2011 to 2015.

Gettysburg National Military Park is joining all other Civil War sites and a wide variety of community partners in commemorating the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. The National Park Service commemorates these defining events in U.S. history and their legacy in the continuing fight for civil rights. The National Park Service website at www.nps.gov/civilwar150 provides a comprehensive calendar of events for the anniversary period, as well as historical features and resources designed to illustrate the
relevancy of events that occurred 150 years ago.

"Gettysburg events, activities and programs during the four years will honor the brave men and women whose courage and devotion to duty shaped our nation," said Bob Kirby, Gettysburg superintendent. "We will include stories of both well-known and lesser-known events, soldiers and civilians, and an important goal of the commemoration is to reach new and younger audiences — Gettysburg for a New Generation."

Park programs are already under way, with planned signature events in 2013 to include commemorative programs for the battle anniversary in July, the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address in November, and two special seminars produced in cooperation with
Gettysburg College and other partners.

The Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau is taking the lead in marketing the many community events that are planned. The website at www.gettysburgcivilwar150.com has comprehensive events listings and visitor information.