Editorial in the Columbus Dispatch (5-24-05):

Gettysburg has to be the worst place in Pennsylvania for a casino.

Historians, Civil War buffs and preservationists would like to crush this asinine proposal before it gets off the ground.

If approved by a state commission, the casino and spa would be built about 1 1/2 miles east of the Gettysburg National Military Park, near enough to be considered a desecration of the memory of the thousands of soldiers who are buried there.

James M. McPherson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author on the Civil War, opposes this "tawdry, tasteless enterprise next to their fields of honor."

A 10-member investment group, aptly named Chance Enterprises, is led by David LeVan, a Gettysburg businessman who also owns Battlefield Harley-Davidson. He asserts that the casino would not be visible from the park, unlike the Gettysburg Tower, which was so hated by the National Park Service.

The 307-foot observation tower was a commercial venture erected in 1974 and intended to give tourists a bird's-eye view of the battlefield. Preservationists deplored it as a blot on the battlefield scenery. The tower was demolished in July 2000 during observances of the 137th anniversary of the horrific three-day battle.

Gettysburg, with its old inns, quaint streets and majestic monuments on rolling hills, would be spoiled by the addition of a gaming palace with up to 3,000 slot machines.

Other areas of the United States, such as Vicksburg, Miss., have tried to blend some tourists' interest in U.S. history with others' love of gambling. A study by the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau found that few gamblers visited the battlefield.

Clearly, the investors want to cash in on Gettysburg's success as a popular historical site. But Gettysburg's success is further reason that this idea should die. State leaders promoted casinos to stimulate the economy in depressed areas of Pennsylvania. The Gettysburg area is not in that category.