(Harrisburg) -- The former head of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has been named to oversee a new museum in Gettysburg. Barbara Franco will serve as the first executive director of the new Seminary Ridge Museum. It'll be housed in the Lutheran Theological Seminary's Schmucker Hall -- a building that served as a lookout on the first day of the July, 1863 battle and as a field hospital for months afterward. Franco says she's looking forward to getting the 16,000 sq. ft. museum up and running. "The plans that they have for the museum really bring forward the idea of telling some of the untold stories of the Civil War, which I think the public is very hungry to hear and know more about," Franco says. The exhibits will cover the events of the first 24 hours of the three-day clash, the debate over slavery and the midstate's contribution to the Underground Railroad. Organizers plan to open the exhibits next spring, in time for the 150th anniversary of the battle. Eight million dollars has been raised for the project so far, with about $3 million to $4 million more needed to complete the museum.