A Typical Park Road

This photo shows the beginning of the building of Meredith Avenue. A typical park road built using the Telford style.

If you look to the back of the photo, over the trees and to the left of the road, you will see the tower of the Katalysine Springs Hotel.  The Hotel grew up around the use of the medicinal water of the Springs.  Many of the Veteran Officers returning to the field in 1882 for John Batchelder's survey of the field, stayed at the Springs Hotel.

The road as it looks today

The Hotel went bankrupt in 1901.  Land located to the east of the Springs Hotel was transferred to the Gettysburg Park Commission in 1904.  This allowed for Meredith Ave to be completed, linking it to Stone and Reynolds Avenues.  The old hotel burnt down in 1917.

Meredith Ave was built using the Telford process.  It was supposed to be built 16 feet wide, with a base dug down 12 inches.  The base was to be packed down with a steam roller, then a hand placed 7 inch layer of stones put onto the base.  This was covered with a 6 inch layer of screened gravel, no bigger than 1 inch and with no more than ¼ part sand.   This was than to be compacted with the steamroller.  At the time, the Park was thought to have some of the best roads in the country.