Civil Strife and Still Life

All photos provided by Gettysburg Heritage Center of Gettysburg, PA.

Planning a visit to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania? You’ll want to get out your quill pen and ink bottle and put the American Civil War Museum/ Gettysburg Heritage Center in your itinerary. The acclaimed museum and gift center has been a frequent destination for millions of history buffs for more than 50 years and it continues to grow and evolve.

Created and built by CM Uberman, a World War ll refugee from Poland, the ambitious venture was opened to the public in 1962 and shows no signs of slowing down its mission to educate and enlighten visitors with a fascinating and informative experience. 

Once boasting 35 sets and over 300 wax figures, the presentation now centers around an innovative interactive show preceded by a 20-minute award-winning film, “Gettysburg Animated Map”, to introduce some perspective on the pivotal three-day battle, including life-size figures in a recreation of ‘Pickett’s Charge.'

In 2014 the museum auctioned off 95 wax figures in addition to many backdrops and antique props. Where have all the soldiers gone? Now we finally have some answers.

Don’t leave without a souvenir, either. The lobby’s gift center has an extensive assortment of books, collectibles, toys, apparel and replicas.

Hours are seasonal, so call ahead. Admission is $9 for adults and $7 for children with free admission for children under 5. Call 717-334-6245 for more info: https://www.gettysburgmuseum.com/.

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Christopher Robinson

The Dungeon Awaits You

Paul Wegener as THE GOLEM

In today’s mega-world of ‘Marvel Universes’, and ‘zombie nations’, many like myself long for the simpler 'creature comforts' of yesteryear when ‘classic’ monsters ruled the horror/sci-fi landscape and dominated the pantheon of horrific heroes. Thanks to Cortlandt Hull, those devoted ‘monster kids’ need only visit his exceptional movie museum in Plainville, Connecticut— although the experience is certainly anything but plain.

FORREST J ACKERMAN (left)
with Cortlandt Hull

Hull is the creator/curator of the Witch’s Dungeon Classic Movie Museum, specializing in detailed, life-like wax reproductions of iconic Universal Monsters characters like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Phantom of the Opera and the Black Lagoon’s Gill-man as played by screen legends like Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney (both) and Henry Hull (Cortlandt’s great-uncle, who played the title monster of 1935’s Werewolf of London).

The stellar monster movie attraction, regarded as the longest-running one in the nation, gives a 20-minute tour featuring the recorded voices of Hull’s friends, June Foray (best known as the voice of Rocky on The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends) and the legendary Vincent Price. The museum also boasts film screenings (beginning in 2022) plus a gallery of horror movie memorabilia and relics.

Boris Karloff as THE MONSTER

Incredibly, Hull began the venture in the town of Bristol in 1966 at the considerably young age of 13! Much enhancement and improvement has been made since those ‘monster craze’ days but he has remained true to his original vision and dedication to the classics.

Vincent Price in House of Wax

Authenticity is one of the Dungeon’s obvious hallmarks as details like Larry Talbot’s ‘wolf’s head’ cane and the statue of Beethoven in the Phantom’s catacombs draw fans straight into its characters’ frightening worlds. Headpieces in the exhibit created by Oscar-winning makeup artists John Chambers and Dick Smith are the real deal, having been employed in various classic films.

Hull currently has the Invisible Man and the Bride of Frankenstein in the works and plans to introduce them by October. When not presiding over his Dungeon in Connecticut, he can be found touring many of his monsters across the country at various exhibitions and conventions. To see it all, though, you’ll need to stop into the Witch’s Dungeon at 103 East Main St., open weekend evenings by appointment (Adults $8, Children under 12 $4. Call (860)583-8306 before 4PM to schedule). Click here for more: https://preservehollywood.org/

Tell them the “man of many faces” sent you—with regretful apologies to the great Lon Chaney, of course.

Contact Chris: Name: Email: Comment:

Christopher Robinson