Part of the requirements for being a Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide are to attend two meetings a year. They are now held in one of the auditoriums in the new Visitor Center. One is in the fall, and one is in the spring. We last took photographs here during the LBG Spring, 2008 meeting. During the meetings, the guides receive updates on procedural changes and National Park Service information. This year, over 100 Licensed Battlefield Guides received updates from Clyde Bell who coordinates the Licensed Battlefield Guide program; Brian Shaffer, the Gettysburg Foundation Facilities Manager; Connie Noble who heads Visitor Services for the Foundation; Marc Pratt, the National Park Service Chief of Maintenance; and Dr. John Latschar the National Park Service Superintendent. Clyde Bell informed us that of the 19 individuals who scored the highest on last December’s written LBG test, three have been or will receive oral examinations this spring. One has dropped out. One is still testing. One is yet to be tested. We decided to use our limited video capacity to show some highlights from Marc Pratt’s and John Latschar’s presentations. If a guide cannot attend a meeting, they are required to watch the National Park Service video of the meeting in the National Park Service Visitor Center at their earliest convenience.  They are not allowed to fast forward the video.

Except for one small corner, the 1962 Electric Map Auditorium has been demolished. On Wednesday, the contractors leveled most of the remaining section of the auditorium except for a small section which they must be leaving up just to tease us that their work is not yet completed.In our first post we saw the initial work in the middle of the structure. In our second post we saw the breaching of the wall to the 1962 addition. In our third post, they had almost completely removed the 1962 Electric Map Lobby. In our fourth post the contractors broke through the wall to the Electric Map Auditorium. In the fifth post the contractors advanced farther into the auditorium and broken through the south wall. In the sixth post, the contractors knocked down the south wall separating the 1921 building from the 1962 building, and began to demolish the west and southwest sides of the 1921 building. In the seventh post, the contractors made significant progress on both the 1921 building and the 1962 building. In the eighth post, the contractors had almost completely demolished the 1921 building and made more progress on the 1962 building. In the ninth post, the contractors significantly opened up the 1962 Electric Map Auditorium. In the tenth post, the contractors significantly demolished the northeast corner of the 1962 Electric Map Auditorium. In our eleventh post, the contractors demolished three of the remaining five sections of the 1962 Electric Map Auditorium.

See the following related posts:

Culp’s Hill with Licensed Battlefield Guide Charlie Fennel here.
Gettysburg Guide Room: The Final Days on March 8, 2008.
Lights Out at the Electric Map on April 13, 2008.
New Guide Room at the New Visitor Center on April 19, 2008.
New Association of Licensed Battlefield Guide Office and Library Opens on August 25, 2008.
Evergreen Cemetery Headstone Damage with LBG Deb Novotny on October 20, 2008.
Camp Letterman with LBG Phil Lechak here.
Gettysburg Artillery with LBG George Newton here.
“Mammy’s Little Baby Loves Guided Tours” with LBG Charlie Fennell on November 23, 2008.
Bucktails on McPherson’s Ridge Part 1 with LBG Rich Kohr on November 26, 2008.
Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Exam 2008 on December 6, 2008.
Gettysburg Hawk Hunting with Licensed Battlefield Guide Dave Weaver on December 14, 2008.
Colonel Edward Ephraim Cross with LBG Rich Bellamy here.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr: William Wible’s Gettysburg Quarry on January 21, 2009.
The Gettysburg Electric Trolley with LBG Rich Kohr here
ACHS Battle of Gettysburg Civil War Research Room with LBG Tim Smith on February 10, 2009.
Lutheran Theological Seminary Cupola with LBG Tim Smith here
John F. Kennedy’s Gettysburg Visit with LBG Richard Goedkoop here.
Gettysburg Harrisburg Railroad with LBG Don Walters here.
Neill Avenue (Lost Avenue) with LBG Ted Gajewski here.

Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #11 on April 7, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #10 on April 6, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #9 on April 4, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #8 on April 3, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #7 on April 2, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #6 on April 1, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #5 on March 31, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #4 on March 27, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #3 on March 26, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #2 on March 25, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Begins on March 24, 2009.
Cyclorama Construction Fencing: Completed on North Side, Redone on West Side on March 13, 2009.
A Fence Too Far: Cyclorama Construction Fencing Completed on West Side on March 1, 2009.
Construction Fences Arrive at Old Visitor Centers on February 27, 2009.
Old Visitor Center Lawn in Limbo on May 28, 2008.
Lights Out at the Electric Map on April 13, 2008.
Moving Day at the Gettysburg Visitor Center on April 12, 2008.
An Emptiness at the Visitor Center on March 31, 2008.
Gettysburg Guide Room: The Final Days on March 8, 2008.
A Sunday Afternoon Walk Around the Old Gettysburg Visitor Center on February 24, 2008.