Please use BACK BUTTON ON BROWSER to return to main list
LITTLE ROUND TOP GETTYSBURG GUIDED EXCURSION PHOTO 1900
Uncommonly LARGE (12 x 16”) cardboard-mounted photograph of an excursion of West Virginians to Gettysburg, led by a famous early guide of the battlefield, CAPTAIN LUTHER W. MINNIGH. This photo has been CUT DOWN probably a long time ago to fit a frame, but otherwise it is in good condition. The image has great contrast & detail. Most of the cardboard mount and a little of each side of the photo have been trimmed off (see scan).
The information printed in the emulsion of the photograph is:
6020 WEST VA EXCURSIONISTS UNDER GUIDENCE OF CAPT L. W. MINNIGH ON LITTLE ROUND TOP GETTYSBURG AUG. 14TH 1900.
General G. K. Warren’s famous statue (erected in 1888) can be seen at the left side of the photograph, and an older man waves his hat nearby. There are at least 75 men & women posing amidst the rocks of the Round Top. Many of the older men in this photo were likely veterans of the Civil War, and perhaps veterans of the Gettysburg battle. One old gent doff’s his hat. Parts of Devil’s Den and the Peach Orchard area can be seen off in the distance.
I suspect that the solid, dapper little man stretched out on the ground right in front of the camera wearing a skimmer hat and white suit is likely Captain Luther W. Minnigh. Along with William D. Holtzworth and Captain J. T. Long, Captain Minnigh was one of the most famous and knowledgeable guides that conducted excursion groups around the battlefield during the late 19th century. He also published a number of books on the campaign and the battlefield.
Tourism to the Gettysburg battlefield increased, especially after the completion of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad in 1884. “With the advent of the 1890's, guiding as a business was well established. The railroad developed what was called the "Round Top Extension" where Sunday excursion trains would travel through the town and south across the battlefield to a station on Little Round Top. There the visitor would be let off. Picnicking and other recreational facilities were available. The Southern Excursion route was supplemented in 1894 by a trolley line, which ran from Gettysburg, through the Peach Orchard to Devil's Den. It then looped back through the Valley of Death to intersect with the railway line returning back past the High Water Mark.” (The excursion railroad would not be removed until the Second World War).
By the late 1890s, Gettysburg had become a recognized national shrine. It was estimated that perhaps 150,000 visitors a year were now coming to the field. “At the same time the older, more prominent guides such as Captain J. T. Long and Luther W. Minnigh, recognized authorities, were now reaching an age where they could no longer offer the services they did previously.”
Buyer pays $5.00 postage & handling in US, plus USPS insurance.
VA residents add 5% sales tax to selling price.
Price= $250.00
Please use BACK BUTTON ON BROWSER to return to main list
ORDERING
INFORMATION
BACK TO HISTORY BROKER HOMEPAGE