In the early 1950s, ninety years after the epic Civil War swept through this small town of carriage makers, a handful of the community’s business leaders gathered to determine ways to work with one another, to pull together resources, to promote Gettysburg and Adams County to tourists. This small gathering was the platform for what would later become one of the community’s most influential organizations. First incorporated as the Gettysburg Travel Council in 1955, and years later, the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, Destination Gettysburg is the official destination marketing organization in Adams County and is largely responsible for the success of tourism as the top industry in the region. Destination Gettysburg markets the destination to leisure travelers, group travelers, meetings and conferences, retreats, reunions and events. Its team – under the direction of Karl Pietrzak, President – includes marketing and sales professionals, public relations and social media representatives as well as a staff of visitor information personnel to assist visitors before and during their visit to Adams County, Pa.