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| Posted: Fri Jan 27th, 2006 03:49 pm |
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21st Post |
indy19th
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yankswon wrote: bcat71258 wrote: A word to Stacy Allen...Please, please, please get a new film about Shiloh for your interpretive center. I'm sure the current one was good for its time...but it's 50 years old and when a re-enactor like myself sees artillery guys dressed in slacks with belt loops and a small belt...well, it just takes away from the essence of the whole thing.
Through hearsay it is my understanding that some of the older locals take great pride in the film because they participated in its creation. Thus, they clamor to keep it going at the Visitor's Center.
You are right in what you say about the film though.
That was me, and it wasn't hearsay. 
Yes, it seems that, according to a ranger, that the "old-timers" have grown attached to that film. (She didn't say that they were part of it's creation though.) I suggested that if that's the case, package it into a DVD and sell it in their fantastic bookstore. Another thought is that they could continue to show it, perhaps at odd times or in another room, and still produce a new video for the rest of us. Many other CW parks have new, exciting orientations. Shiloh needs to keep up with the times.
Signed,
johnnybravo/corydon
Last edited on Fri Jan 27th, 2006 04:29 pm by
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27th, 2006 03:49 pm |
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22nd Post |
indy19th
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p.s. The Catfish Hotel is the best. Don't let the name scare you off. (It's also the only real place for miles around to get food near the park.)
Last edited on Fri Jan 27th, 2006 04:30 pm by
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27th, 2006 04:24 pm |
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23rd Post |
Harry
Member
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While there is worry about declining tourism numbers at these sites, I think a more important issue that we should worry about is the move by developers to turn these historic sites into developments.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27th, 2006 04:38 pm |
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24th Post |
indy19th
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rebalgray wrote: Hi all,
I went to Shiloh last spring. If I hadn't got the directions from Map Quest I may not have found it. I saw no road signs about the battle field till I got to the park entrance. I wanted to see where Lew Wallace was before the battle. No luck in finding that. We went from Shiloh to Corinth. We drove all over and never found anything. There was a sign pointing to the visitor center but there was no visitor center. Needless to say I wasn't a happy camper.
rebalgray
Today we have GPS, digital maps, road signs, etc., and people still give Lew Wallace a hard time about getting lost in an unfamiliar state in 1862. 
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28th, 2006 02:12 pm |
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25th Post |
calcav
Member
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For those of you that don’t know me I am a Park Ranger at Shiloh though most of my time is spent at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. I just thought I’d take a few minutes to respond to some of the comments.
The Film. Yes it is old and horribly dated. It is also the first and longest playing narrative style film in the National Park Service. It was made in cooperation with several local and state organizations all of which still have immense pride in the project. Indeed quite a few locals were cast as extras. It was first aired on April 7, 1956 on the 94th anniversary of the battle. It was originally 35 minutes in length but was shortened to 25 minutes to allow it to be played every half hour. During this years 144th anniversary events it will be shown in its original format to celebrate its 50th year. And it is not just popular with the locals. Hundreds of copies of the video are sold every year out of the park bookstore. If you are interested in an updated film start your Shiloh visit at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. We have a brand new film that plays on seven plasma screens in a circular theatre. And there are no shirtless guys in slacks manning the artillery.
I’m sorry if someone felt a biased (northern) interpretation of the battle by the staff. All of our programs are approved by senior staff members for balance and accuracy. And to tell the truth all of the interpretive staff, with the exception of the Chief Ranger (Kansas) and myself (California), are proud southerners. If you question the material in a program, by all means voice your concerns (preferably at the end of the program) and the Ranger will be glad to cite the sources used in developing the talk. And please beware of those self proclaimed “guides” in period attire. They enjoy passing themselves off as licensed battlefield guides (a program still in development) and persist in presenting a skewed version of our history. If you desire a battlefield guide the Visitors Center can recommend a few local historians who are quite knowledgeable of the battle.
Road Signs. A project near and dear to my heart. Anyone approaching Shiloh from the North, East or West has had the assistance of numerous road markers and signs to guide them to the park. But the park is 40 miles from the nearest interstate highway and sometimes you wonder if you are ever going to find it. Until this last summer, anyone approaching from the south or trying to navigate sites in Corinth came away very frustrated. Hopefully that is now corrected. Since the new Visitor Center in Corinth opened I have worked with city and county officials as well as the DOT people from Tennessee and Mississippi to install an ambitious signing project. The first phase of the project was completed in August and 21 familiar NPS brown and white signs were erected in and around the city. The second phase was put on indefinite hold when Hurricane Katrina devastated coastal Mississippi and highway funds earmarked for our project were diverted south. However anyone traveling on Highway 72 or 45 will have no problem finding our site. Once you have got here we can provide maps to lead you out to the numerous earthworks that still ring the city.
Yes, visitation is down at Shiloh National Military Park, as well as at all the parks in the system. The gas prices have hit us all hard. But if you do find the gas money to come to Shiloh, PLEASE start your visit in Corinth. You’ll be glad you did. So do your part, get in the car and go visit a park this weekend, after all, they are your parks.
P.S. I prefer the broiled whole lemon pepper catfish at Hagy’s.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28th, 2006 04:18 pm |
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26th Post |
rebalgray
Member
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calcav,
Thanks for the info. The reason I wanted to find Crumps landing was because I'm from Crawfordsville, Indiana, the home town of Lew Wallace. Is Crumps Landing part of the military park? What is your view of Wallace at Shiloh? Myself, I think he was a scape goat for Grant and Sheridan because they got surprised by the confederates.
Rebalgray
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28th, 2006 05:31 pm |
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27th Post |
yankswon
Member
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calcav wrote: For those of you that don’t know me I am a Park Ranger at Shiloh .....
.... I prefer the broiled whole lemon pepper catfish at Hagy’s.
It is high time that the Federal Government (or better put, an agent thereof) acknowledged the cultural significance of the Catfish Hotel.
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28th, 2006 05:39 pm |
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28th Post |
yankswon
Member
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calcav wrote: For those of you that don’t know me I am a Park Ranger at Shiloh though most of my time is spent at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. I just thought I’d take a few minutes to respond to some of the comments.
Thank you for your comments.
Would you happen to be a Park Ranger at Shiloh whose first name begins with a J?
If so, sir, I would like to commend you for an excellent tour of the Hornet’s Nest that you provided me and some other Yankee tourists back in July, 2004.
It is regrettable (if you are the same person) that prior to said tour you were accosted by some lost causer extremists. My posting on the following thread may or may not jog your memory on the matter:
http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=107&forum_id=9
Last edited on Sat Jan 28th, 2006 05:42 pm by yankswon
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| Posted: Mon Jan 30th, 2006 08:01 pm |
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29th Post |
indy19th
Guest
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And it is not just popular with the locals. Hundreds of copies of the video are sold every year out of the park bookstore. If you are interested in an updated film start your Shiloh visit at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. We have a brand new film that plays on seven plasma screens in a circular theatre. And there are no shirtless guys in slacks manning the artillery.
So the 1956 video IS sold in your bookstore? The park ranger I talked to must not be informed, as when I suggested that they should put it on tape to sell, she said that that's probably a good idea. (Either that or she was yanking my chain. She didn't laugh when I asked her if the soldiers had used the monuments as cover during the battle. She'd probably heard that one before.
BTW, if there is a new video at Corinth, why do they not show it at Shiloh Military Park as well? Are they giving the state of Mississippi some "kickbacks" for sending everyone down there?
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31st, 2006 06:20 pm |
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30th Post |
javal1
Grumpy Geezer
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Great to see Calcav post that, and he also has great timing.
Some of you may not know that Calcav is a great writer, and he wrote an article for CWi several years back. Sadly that article, and several others got lost in cyberspace last time we had to change servers. We're thrilled to announce that last week we found a back-up of the database these articles were on, and am in the process of extracting and re-formatting them. While the process is not yet complete for all of them (watch the frontpage of CWi for an announcement when it is), we have completed Calcav's. So click here to read his great article - "Gentle Warrior: Charles Russell Lowell, Jr."
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31st, 2006 09:27 pm |
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31st Post |
susansweet
Member
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That was a great read about Lowell. We are very found of the California Battalion here in Southern California. There is a display with pictures at the Drum Barracks in Wilmington , California about them.
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