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PART FIVE: The Depression Years

by Frederick W. Hawthorne

The financial downturn the nation experienced in the 1930's was severely felt by those individuals making their living from guiding. Reports to the Quartermaster General's Office from the Park Superintendent, clearly reflected the impact the Depression had on visitation to the field:

The report noted that "...the shrinkage of business (is) true in every line."

The earliest record located reporting guided trips partially corresponded with the file reporting total visitation, this one from the early 1930's:

One can clearly see the trend of lower visitation as the Depression hit bottom in 1932. Since statistics on guided tours in the 1920's have not been found one can only estimate that about 25,000 tours were made annually in the late 1920's. (Based on an estimate made later that about one in every eight park visitors employed a guide.)

Because of the clear drop in visitation new methods of conducting business were necessary. One such method was the implementation of a shorter (and cheaper) tour of the battlefield known as the "twister." Costing $2.00, the visitor would receive an abbreviated tour of no more than one hour and a quarter. It allowed guides to offer cash-poor visitors a cheaper alternative to the standard , $3.00 tour and was designed to prevent some guides from taking advantage of the tourists in the form of a full priced "quick trip." Each trip, long or short, was important to the guide's livelihood and one can imagine that the period of tighter money meant harder 'sells.' This required even more aggressive solicitation techniques, further compounding the problem encountered throughout the Twenties in this regard. It was said that "getting skunked" and coming up with a "goose egg" in trips was not uncommon, even during the usually peak summer season.

It was perhaps this heightened need for aggressive solicitation that brought increased friction within the community towards guides. In September of 1931, a report was made by the park authorities that the guide station on the Harrisburg Road and Howard Avenue, had been closed "...due to conditions which may result in a homicide." Whether certain overaggressive guides were truly in mortal danger is not stated in the documents of the time, but certainly the situation had reached a state where the Quartermaster General authorized a complete on-site inspection and investigation of the Gettysburg Guide Service that same month.

This report, and the accompanying suggestions, were not eagerly embraced by the LBG's. Essentially the inspector recommended that all guides be assembled in one prominent location where interested visitors could report to obtain their services. This site would be permanently staffed by an official whose duties included insuring that proper charges were made and the appropriate amount of time given to each visitor. The Secretary of War later revised this to allow for at least five distinct stations:

 1. Center Square (The most lucrative location)

 2. Junction of Baltimore St. and Emmitsburg Road

 3. Junction of York Pike, Hanover Rd., East Confederate

 4. Junction of Carlisle St. and Harrisburg Road

 5. The vicinity of Reynold's Statue

Each of the approach roads into town was to be marked with signs directing visitors to each station. In turn the stations were to be marked with signs lettered in plain, large letters:

As the inspector reported, many businesses in Gettysburg were eager to remove the guides from the streets to the point where they were willing to assist in donating free materials for the new stations. A small booth was to be set up at each of the five sites.

The continuing strength and influence of the Guide's Association in the community was in evidence when the local Chamber of Commerce came out in opposition to the plan despite some obviously organized community support for it. Many businessmen, who had initially favored the park's plan, were swayed by the guides as sixty Chamber members voted in favor of a resolution condemning the plan. Only one member voted in favor of supporting the centralization concept. The lone vote was cast by a local gasoline station owner who had originally requested the initial inspection and investigation take place. He was upset with some of the guides soliciting outside his business to the point where threats had passed between the groups (hence prompting the 'fears' of potential 'homicides' reducing the guide population of Gettysburg) The newspaper account of the meeting reported that the station owner "...went down to defeat with colors flying and still assailing the guides." William Allison, the president of the Association, promised the Chamber that his organization was doing all within its power to curb some of the bad practices of offending guides and that Superintendent Davis would immediately suspend any guide upon their recommendation.

The complaintant apparently attempted to enlist the aide of the State Highway Patrol in his quest to rid the streets of guides but this failed when they refused to intervene. An officer reported at the meeting that the guide problem of creating a hazard on the streets had been dealt with in the late 1920's when the state widened berms on the highways leading into town. In that way cars could safely pull off to meet with the guides.

Despite losing the battle against the guides solicitation practices, these businessmen ultimately would win the war as the park proceeded with its centralization plan. E. E. Davis's last months in office prior to his retirement in July of 1932 would be spent implementing the plan. In its final form, nine guide stations were to be established. Each guide was asked to choose a station from which they would operate with all stations opening effective with the 1932 visitation season. All other guide locations were to be closed effective January 1, 1932.

The stations, along with the number of guides choosing to work from them, were as follows:

 1. Center Square (Eight guides at a time, two each side) 33

 2. Emmitsburg Road south of West Confederate Avenue 14

 3. Hagerstown Road, west of Reynolds Avenue 2

 4. Chambersburg Pike (near Reynold's Statue) 28

 5. Harrisburg Rd. (near junction with Carlisle Street) 1

 6. Harrisburg Rd. (near Jones' Battalion) 10

 7. York Pike and Hanover Road 7

 8. Baltimore Pike and Hunt Avenue 2

 9. Taneytown Road and Hancock Avenue 0

 Numbers one, two, four and six were all existing guide locations. The remainder were to be established. The Baltimore Pike and Hunt Avenue site would later be moved, at the request of the guides, to a point near Slocum Avenue. Still later, it would be moved on top of Cemetery Hill, opposite to the entrance to the National Cemetery (where one had existed prior to the centralization plan but had been removed by the War Department due to the inappropriateness of its location).

With the establishment of these stations the era of free solicitation on any street corner desired was brought to a close. Although potential for abuse still was there, a bit more order had been brought from the chaos. In order to receive a closer count of visitation, it was about this period of time that individual trip reports replaced the former quarterly ones for the five busiest months of the year. As the guide passed through the National Cemetery, a record of the trip was to be placed in a box. The remainder of the year required a monthly report.

As visitation continued to slip along with the nations slide into Depression, the LBG's would receive their fourth supervisor since the implementation of the testing program in 1915. J. Frank Barber was appointed Superintendent to replace the retired Davis in the summer of 1932. In one of his first acts he implemented the use of a card containing the official guide license agreement to make it more convenient to be carried by guides.

With the onset of the 1933 guiding season the War Department made it known exactly what was expected of guides: "As vacation season approaches the number of visitors is noticed to be increasing. It is highly important that an understanding be completed before the busy season begins. Previous talks and Circular #1 have put before you the attitude of the administration both on matters pertaining to - regulations and a relationship to the guide service. You know what is expected of you and you know what to expect of the administration. Considerable effort has been made to create this understanding. If there are any questions get them settled soon. The intention of the administration is to ferret out those few individuals who are known to be potential troublemakers and those with a tendency to place their personal gain or personal inclinations ahead of the service. Disciplinary action will follow at once when those men are discovered injuring the service. Sufficient warning has been given and no further leniency can rightfully be expected". The report went on to lay down the expectations in such as way as to give one- a clear idea of the problems still cropping tip. Guides were warned to maintain cleanliness of both uniform and body. Wearing of the complete guide uniform was necessary when actively guiding--not simply a part of it. Solicitation in a manner that suggests officially stopping a car such as "...stepping into the road with the palm extended toward the car in a stop gesture" was to be highly frowned upon. In a warning that seems to imply a practice that was highly dangerous to the guide's welfare, the circular specifically warned against "...endangering traffic by standing directly in a car's path thereby causing the driver to swerve if an accident to be prevented."

Other rules reiterated included a new one of no solicitation for or against any product or purpose. This was probably an outgrowth of difficulties the guides had encountered in the business community by recommending certain boarding houses and other establishments. Monthly reports were required to be submitted by the second of each month to relate the "number and types of trips made ...... It was stated that "These... are desired so that a more accurate knowledge may be had as to tourist traffic in these uncertain times." A final regulation prohibited the wearing of the guide uniform after 7:30 P.M. to "...protect the guide service against the complaint of soliciting for rooming houses".

One proposal attached to the circular was an idea to reduce the guide fee from $3.00 to $2.50. The park administration was of the opinion that this fee established in 1928 when "money was plentiful", needed to be lowered to help attract more visitors. The Guide Association opposed the decrease whereupon the War Department polled all guides with much the same result. The $3.00 fee would remain in effect.

Perhaps the interest of the War Department in vigorously enforcing these regulations would have, in time brought considerable change to the guide force. Unfortunately their efforts would come to an end later that summer. On August 10, 1933, the War Department formally transferred all of its battlefield park holdings, and the Licensed Battlefield Guides, to the Department of the Interior/National Park Service. In the transition, guides were left to a business-as-usual attitude and much of the work of the War Department to improve quality and reduce poor practices fell by the wayside. Although the National Park Service would maintain all existing War Department regulations for a time, little was done to insure enforcement.