Guiding Tradition

Front 1

1st Professional Guide

Back 1

Sergeant William David Holtzworth

Front 2

Monumentation Era

Back 2

1870's to 1880's

Front 3

Spring 1884

Back 3

Completion of Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad

Front 4

1894

Back 4

Gettysburg Electric Railroad

Front 5

1864

Back 5

Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association/ Last meeting was May 22, 1895

Front 6

1895

Back 6

Gettysburg National Military Park run by the War Department

Front 7

1933

Back 7

National Park Service took over

Front 8

Rule # 1 by Gettysburg National Park Commission

Back 8

1st written evidence of the requirement that anyone intending to conduct tours of the field had to receive authorization to do so by the commissioners. No one could conduct tours without this authorization: the commission established fees for such tours that could not be exceeded.

Front 9

1913 Park Commissioner

Back 9

John Page Nicholson

Front 10

1913 Assistant Secretary of War

Back 10

Henry S. Breckinridge

Front 11

September and October 1915

Back 11

91 guides took written test

Front 12

1st class license

Back 12

Scored high enough on test

Front 13

2nd and 3rd class license

Back 13

Scored less than set percentage, and were required to complete additional study of a Guide School and retake exam to earn an acceptable score.

Front 14

Modern Era of Guiding

Back 14

October 17, 1915/Unlicensed individuals were arrested for conducting tours after that date.

Front 15

First Badge

Back 15

9 Pointed Guide Badge

Front 16

First Fee

Back 16

3 Dollars

Front 17

Requested 1st Uniform

Back 17

J. Warren Gilbert

Front 18

October 24, 1916

Back 18

Battlefield Guide Association Established to serve as the guides' official representative.

Front 19

Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides

Back 19

New name in the early 1980's of the Battlefield Guide Association.

Front 20

First Guide Supervisor

Back 20

William Storrick

Front 21

1929

Back 21

Last test administered by the War Department and retirement of the original guide uniform to a more military one in khaki

Front 22

Park Superintendent E. E. Davis

Back 22

Retired 9 pointed star badge and replaced it with a numbered wreath cap badge.

Front 23

1930

Back 23

Due to great depression twister tours were offered. They were one hour short tours for a reduced price. This tour survived into the mid 1960's.

Front 24

August 10, 1933

Back 24

FDR transferred War Department Military parks to National Park Service.

Front 25

Spring of 1937

Back 25

West and South end stations opened.

Front 26

1936

Back 26

Self Guided Auto Tour Route began

Front 27

1942

Back 27

Required 12 part training session taught by Park Historian Dr. Frederick Tilberg and mandatory retesting of all existing guides.

Front 28

Civil Service Employees

Back 28

Guides overwhelmingly voted to remain independent.

Front 29

August 15, 1951

Back 29

First NPS guide examination/partial oral exam in presence of Dr. Tilberg

Front 30

1950's

Back 30

1st fee increase since turn of century

Front 31

1957

Back 31

Park Historians Dr. Tilberg, Dr. Henry Pfanz and COl. Jacob Sheads and educator, Park Ranger Historian and LBG organized Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable to give guides a broader knowledge of the entire war.

Front 32

1962

Back 32

Opening of the Richard Neutra designed Cyclorama Building. NPS began to encourage guides to work there as a primary location for tour distribution.

Front 33

Guide Stations/The North End, South End and East Cemetery Hill Stations

Back 33

Declared closed for tours

Front 34

Lincoln Square and West End Guide Station

Back 34

Up through mid to late 1980's some guides were permitted to continue soliciting their own tours from outlying sites.

Front 35

1975

Back 35

All newly licensed guides could work only out of the Visitor Center.

Front 36

1968

Back 36

1st female guide Barbara Schutt

Front 37

Nora Saum Supervisory National Park Technician

Back 37

Implemented full oral exam tour

Front 38

1972

Back 38

NPS purchased the National Museum and Electric Map from the Rosensteel Family

Front 39

1976

Back 39

Guide uniform changed to blue/gray still in use today

Front 40

1990

Back 40

75th Anniversary of licensed guiding the guide badge was reintroduced

Front 41

1990 and 1993

Back 41

Ken Burns and Gettysburg released guide force increased to 140.

Front 42

1995

Back 42

30 individuals were tested and licensed the most in a single year

Front 43

Vicksburg Guides

Back 43

Licensed by NPS and operated by the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau