GETTYSBURG, Pa. — WGAL
A piece of Civil War history is beginning to rot, but work is being done to preserve the Klingel House in Gettysburg.
Nearly 160 years after the Battle of Gettysburg, the bullet riddled Klingel House, named after the Civil War era family, that lived there, is in danger of collapsing.
The National Park Service hopes to save it by bracing the inside walls and wrapping the outside of the building. Without a repair, the park service says it would have a very grim future.
The house started having serious problems after a restoration project over a decade ago.
The latex paint used on the exterior trapped the moisture inside the house.
Emergency bracing has been installed inside the house, essentially holding it up. There is also exterior braces.
For now, the park service says there is no danger of collapsing. The bracing has a life span of around five years, which is the window the park service has to restore the old building.
The park service says the Klingel House was in the middle of the Union and Confederate line.
On July 2, 1863, the Confederate forces charged through the area, pushing Union forces back to their position.