The Comfort Suites Motel on the Baltimore Pike is swiftly hurrying to its completion before tourist season begins this spring. It is located in the area of (actually right next to) Evergreen Cemetery. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
Construction is progressing well on the new Comfort Inn/Comfort Suites on the south side of Cemetery Hill. The building originally approved to be three stories is now four stories with a nicely pitched roof. If only they can make the roof a bright red, orange, or yellow so it will stand out like the overhang on the gas pumps on the other (north) side of Cemetery Hill that we featured on Sunday.
The Comfort Suites/Comfort Inn should have its roof completed in the next month or so, and we are hoping it’s a really gaudy color to stand out from the subtle green grass, trees, and gray headstones on Cemetery Hill. This view was taken facing west at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
Of course, why are they building it on the southern slopes of Cemetery Hill? It’s the fault of those of us who love history, and want to be closer to it. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
We want to visit historic places that put us back in time, while at the same time enjoying all of today’s conveniences. So we want to bring those conveniences close to the history… This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
…Really close. As a reminder, this is Evergreen Cemetery, the civilian cemetery for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
To paraphrase a line making the rounds about our National Parks for the last twenty years, “We are loving our historic sites to death.” This view was taken facing south at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
When President Abraham Lincoln came to Gettysburg to give his Gettysburg Address, one of the most memorized speeches in American History, he came to dedicate the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. This view was taken facing south at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
But when Lincoln gave his speech, the platform on which he was standing was located in Evergreen Cemetery. This cemetery. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
So we will stay here when we visit Gettysburg, and it will probably have good prices, and be constantly booked. But if they run out of room, don’t worry. Look in the background across the Baltimore Pike at the white building. That was the site of the McKnight House in 1863. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
Part of the McKnight House is a stone structure that was here at the time of the battle. To the left of it is East Cemetery Hill, scene of hand to hand fighting on the evening of July 2, 1863. To the right is a brick building, the Battlefield Military Museum. This view was taken facing east at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
The trees in the right background are on Stevens’ Knoll (McKnight’s Hill) and Culp’s Hill. Supposedly the only factor keeping this area undeveloped from another motel/hotel complex are problems securing the proper sewer permit. This view was taken facing east at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
But maybe they’ll get lucky and have the Cumberland Township supervisors waive any permits or regulations needed to get the complex started. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
Just like they did on the other side of the Baltimore Pike. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 9:45 AM on Saturday, December 27, 2008.
See the following related posts:
Another Non-Historic Structure on the South Side of Cemetery Hill on December 1, 2008.
Yeah! More Subtle Cemetery Hill Construction! on December 28, 2008.