The "Gettysburg's Stevens Museum" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a bit more about the first museum that will be dedicated in Gettysburg, PA to Thaddeus Stevens, the great 19th-century civil rights advocate.  The date has been set for April 4, Stevens 232nd birthday.  April 4th is also the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Thaddeus Steven Society, the organization that has steadfastly boosted Stevens' reputation.  The new museum will explain how the Civil War and Reconstruction that followed created a much more equal society, particularly through the efforts of Stevens.  Following a successful fund drive, the society has leased 46 Chambersburg St. as its future office and Stevens museum. The site is about two blocks from Gettysburg's new statue of Stevens.  The museum is across the street from the site of Stevens' Gettysburg home which was demolished not long ago.  The next few weeks will be devoted to preparing the 815-square-foot space to accommodate the society's extensive collection of Stevens-related materials.  These include Steven's letters, period newpapers and stoves made at his iron mills.   Hundreds of books and documents will be available for research.  Stevens lived and practiced law in Gettysburg from 1816 to 1842 and served in the Pennsylvania Legislature.  He moved to Lancaster, where he was elected to Congress, from 1849 until his death in 1868.  He was father of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (1868), which requires equal treatment under the law and extends civil rights to the state level.  LancasterHistory plans to open a considerably larger museum with more extensive exhibits next year.  The Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History & Democracy will be at Stevens's former home and law office at South Queen and Vine Streets.  It is presently being reconstructed.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.