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ISSUE 03 | November 2019 THE ITINERARY A Quarterly Newsletter of The Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington DC Tours With Warts by John A. O’Brien I re-learned this summer that a great tour leaves you with new insights about people. A visit to several cities in Europe gave me the chance to learn from wonderful, experienced tour guides who were proud of and knowledgeable about the history and culture of their countries and communities. They could keep up engaging conversations about themes that emerged from centuries of development that would help them build stories around the odd house, castle, or church in front of us. Their styles were as unique as they were interesting. One of the most striking features in many of our tours was how the guide chose to take on the most controversial historical social topics and integrate them into a modern context. There don’t seem to be many hard issues in Switzerland, but our guides anticipated questions about the concept of Swiss “neutrality,” especially during World War II. The country is not part of the European Union and maintains a separate currency. We were candidly apprised that the local merchants would be happy to accept our euros, but any change would come back in Continued to pg 2 In This in This Edition P1 Tours with Warts P7 SMILES P15 Heart and Soul P3 Editor’s Note P8 TAG - Tech/App/Gear Reviews P19 Board Contact Information P4 Alexandria History P9 The 1600 Sessions P6 Who Dat? P11 Books 1 Fall The Itinerary 2019 Continued from pg 1 Swiss francs that are worth considerably less. of the catastrophe. Tour guides in the Slick business folks. This became the Netherlands are encouraged to incorporate introduction to the larger issue of reconciling discussion of this ugly side of Dutch history to the history of savvy Swiss neutrality with what tell a more complete story of the price of their is now understood to have been a symbiotic national development. relationship with the Nazis. They describe with The most surprising tour guide narratives were pride how many refugees, mostly Jewish, were heard in Germany. There is no attempt to hide able to transit their country. But they also from the horrors of the Nazi regime of the relate the more troubling aspects of their middle 20th century. The guides are government’s collaboration to keep the Nazis encouraged to develop the story of a society at bay. They are still uncovering what was the gone mad and point out the organization and human cost of that cooperation. The point is facilities of the Nazis in their towns. Often, the that that this new understanding of the not so guides will add their own family histories glittering truth is being presented by during that era. In Cologne, the building that professional tour guides as an integral part of served as the Gestapo headquarters for their narrative on the country’s institutions and western Germany somehow survived the allied prominent buildings. bombing and has been preserved as the “Nazi The Netherlands was the dominant naval Documentation Center.” Rather than a dry power of the world during the 17th century. archives storage facility that I had assumed it Our history books called this the “Golden Age” to be, this center displays the rooms of torture for that country. Amsterdam is still a and execution, the cells and scratched notes of showcase for the beautiful houses and public the captives, and three floors of a time line buildings as well as the extensive canal system history and explanation. What is documented that were all built with the wealth of that era. is the 16-year process by which Hitler’s Our guides here told us that the government is henchmen brought a nation to embrace racial discouraging the use of the phrase “Golden hatred and Aryan world domination. It is an Age” as research develops a fuller account of unflinching display with which all the guides I how much of the country’s wealth was derived met were familiar. For these guides the story from the transportation of enslaved African of the Allies victory and occupation after the people to the New World. The Dutch may have war was one of gratitude for saving Germany invented the concept of the “Middle Passage” from itself and liberating their country from a by developing the mercantile loop that took horrific ideology. Their message today is to manufactured goods and grain to Africa to lead the world in overcoming a history of anti- exchange for captives who would be taken for Semitism and to atone. The Nazi experience is sale or barter to British colonies. It is built into the narrative of two thousand years estimated that at least 750,000 enslaved of dynamic nation-building and the emergence people may have been transported in Dutch of a country that holds itself accountable for all ships to America. Another 250,000 were of its history. probably delivered to the West Indies and I have heard many of our guild members speak Brazil. An estimated 30% mortality rate among about their responsibility for accurate context those being transported increased the extent Continued to pg 3 2 Fall The Itinerary 2019 Continued from pg 2 A Note from the Editor in their interpretations. I was amazed Kelvin Carter that my European guides were so Communications Co-Chair consistently forthcoming with the wonders and warts of their cultures with Happy fall everyone, the apparent support of their national governments. There was a recent news Editing The Itinerary is a joy. I enjoy article in The Washington Post about the connecting with our members and seeing negative reactions some of our regional their creativity. We truly have some great historic sites were getting for their minds among us. I am still gathering a efforts to put the perspective of team of people willing to submit articles for enslaved people into their narratives. the following reoccurring features in the They are accused of “propagandizing.” newsletter: app/gear reviews, All of the federal buildings in neighborhood spotlights, exploring areas Washington constructed before the Civil outside of the DC metro area, and business War involved the labor of enslaved aspects of guiding. people. Every community in and near I am happy to say that several people have the District has a history that includes stepped forward with their own ideas and slavery, segregation, and racial suggestions, some of which you will see discrimination. These profoundly reflected in the current issue. affecting themes require that we support a continuous process to give In addition to articles, I also need original context to better explain the evolution photos that can be used as stock images for future articles. When you are out and of our culture. The trend among historic about, if you see an image that catches sites to engage these themes is critically your eye, snap a pic and submit it to me. important to a better understanding of When submitting photos please include a the American experience. There will be title and your name in the file name, so that resistance, but the experience in other you can be properly credited if the image is countries in supporting the enlargement used. of their cultural narratives to embrace controversies that have shaped their All Guild guides, Affiliates, and Friends are societies should encourage us to persist. invited to share their knowledge, expertise, interests, and ideas. I hope that our Guild will continue to expand efforts to press for support of Special thanks to all of those who this process from our governments and contributed time and articles to make this cultural societies. This is the work that issue possible. defines our professionalism. We have a responsibility to interpret the fascinating Please submit articles for the Winter Itinerary. Submissions will be accepted history and culture of the national now through January 31. capital region in its most accurate context, warts and all. Please send articles, questions, and comments to [email protected] 3 Fall The Itinerary 2019 A Short Civil War History . of Old Town Alexandria By Tom Schultz Many Guild guides will simply escort a school bus group to the motor coach drop-off point on King Street at Alexandria City Hall in preparation for their upcoming ghost tours. There’s a great opportunity to share some real history prior to or at the drop-off. On the early morning of 24 May 1861, the Union Army prepared in Washington for a two-pronged assault on the seaport town of Alexandria. Most of the army crossed the Long Bridge to the Virginia side of the Potomac and proceeded south about eight miles into the north end of the town. Simultaneously, a significant Union amphibious force landed on Alexandria’s waterfront. Amongst the amphibious forces was a unit from New York, the Eleventh Volunteer Infantry Regiment, also known as the First Fire Zouaves. The Zouaves were led by a dashing young Union Major Elmer E. Ellsworth. Ellsworth was already well known in the Northern states. Prior to the Civil War, his Zouaves barnstormed throughout Northern towns displaying their talents in martial drill and showmanship. They were the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team of the day. The Zouaves and their leader had celebrity status. You could say that Major Ellsworth was the Kanye West of his day. Ellsworth was also a bosom friend of the Lincoln family having clerked for Lincoln in Springfield Once known as the Potomac Bridge, the Long Bridge connected Washington, D.C. to before the war. Many Northerners Arlington, Virginia over the Potomac River.

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