I've been in touch with Steve Garrity to learn the fate of his board: First off, that board was a student project done by Steve and two others when thay were in their early teens, this fall they go off to college. Steve advised me that, as I suspected, Think Quest literly

"pulled the plug" on the message board site without even bothering to give him and his team any advance warning. Presumably that move was part of a clean-up on ThinkQuest's part to clean up their servers to make room for new projects (go to www.thinkquest.com to learn more about them).

Steve has been told that Think Quest might restore the board, but he hasn't heard anything more from them. Since he apparently leaves for school later this month, if he doesn't hear from them soon, nothing will happen.
Maintaining the board and the rest of the site took a certain amount of effort (as anyone who has a site of their own knows....and don't even ask Henry Drummond how much time his site takes - with message boards, chat rooms, his own server and all that, had to stick that in Henry, but I'm getting off the subject).

Anyway, I think we all have to admit that the world is an ever changing place and it would be unreasonable to expect the old chat board to continue indefinitely considering how it came about in the first place.
Let's be thankfull that we have people like Henry Drummond to step in and fill the void.

I would also like to take this opportunity to point out that this is an excellent reason for posting your email address when you post to boards like this and a good reason for using that medium (email) to correspond with fellow "chatters" and build friendships outside the Board. Were it not for the rather "fat" address books some of us have, how would we have spread the word about this board to all the former Gettysburg Chatters?

For some of us the old board has some special meaning, we "met" quite a few fellow Civil War/Gettysburg enthusiasts there and became friends, we broadened our own and helped others broaden their knowledge of the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg, and some of us took up a challange and created a Gettysburg Website for the specific purpose of helping others learn (the Battle of Gettysburg Resource Center).

Once again, Thank You to Steve Garrity for his board, we're sorry to see it end Steve, but it was great while it lasted.

Finally, Thank You to Henry Drummond (and Elly) for providing this forum to keep the conversations going.

Bill N-T

Haaaaar! Me wishes to passes on ta the Gettysburg"regulars"(providing yer Union in good standing)that ye are all welcomes aboard the ole U.S.S.Internet anytime !! Providing ye kin slop a mop, oil down Dalhgrens and toss few tankards o' good Kentucky bourbon down yer hatch. I always needs a few good men(sorry ladies, fallen tarts only!) about ships to keep the decks clear and shovel the coal. Signing on new hands is always top priority fer the Mississippi Squadron! I kinda shang-hai'ed the last crop o' tars. So mebbe ye all from the Gettysburg Camp won't mind a new adventure in" Navy duty" hee hee hee hee! Web feet ain't so bad..and 'sides I'll let ya raid on land (picket boats) to remind ya of yer infantry days.... Welcome our new Gettysburg Chat Message Board ship-mates aboard the Western Flotilla!!..HUZZAH!

All I can add is a big AMEN! and I'm thankful we have a new home. The past few years have enriched my life more than anyone could guess. And, Ironclad, you drowning dragoon of the poopdeck, I gotta meet you sometime! I need a big smile sometimes! Har har!!!
J.D.

To All,

(This includes you too Ironclad, you old salt ya!)..
First of all a moment of silence for the dearly departed board!....................... Ok that done, I too have been enriched as well.... With out all who were there, I would have never 'fallen' for Gettysburg, had it turn into a blazing passion.....And had the encouragement to dig into GK Warren. To Steve Garrity.. Thank YOU!. To JD, Bill NT, Basecat (Steve Basic), Ed M Carolyn, and all the others, THANK YOU SSSSOOOOOO MUCH!!! You are now all dear friends.... Now if I could just convinced the MRS to take a detour for our 25th Wedding Anniversary for OCT muster!

PS Henry and Elly!!! THANK YOU

Jim Lamason (AKA the Night Owl)