Altoona

Altoona history professor to offer talk on national park use during World War II

Jared Frederick (in the foreground) dressed as a 1940s park ranger at the Civil War battleground at Gettysburg. Frederick, an assistant teaching professor of history at Penn State Altoona, will offer a lecture titled “The Unfinished Work: The Hidden History of Gettysburg and the Second World War” at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, in the Fireside Lounge of the Slep Student Center. Credit: Provided - Jared Frederick. All Rights Reserved.

ALTOONA, Pa. — Jared Frederick, assistant teaching professor of history, will offer the lecture “The Unfinished Work: The Hidden History of Gettysburg and the Second World War” at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, in the Fireside Lounge of the Slep Student Center.

During World War II, America's national parks were mobilized as training and staging areas for the U.S. military. Among them was the famous Civil War battleground at Gettysburg.

Frederick will share how soldiers, park rangers, tourists, farmers, and even German prisoners of war used the park in the 1940s. He will also share his recent dissertation research on these topics, which also highlight the patriotic symbolism of Gettysburg and Lincoln's address during the Second World War.

Last Updated March 14, 2024

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