I didn't realize they licensed private tour guides. My son's scout troop went to Gettysburg and joined one of the NPS tours. The guy kept a whole lot of teenaged boys engaged and interested for what was at least 2 hours and several miles of walking. I've been on tours of other Civil War sites and that was by far the best.
I guess when you want to be a guide to nerds, you have to be a uber-nerd. There is a degree of mansplain competitiveness amongst hardened <anything> specialist tourism, people who seek to edgelord it out with the guide over some microfactoid.
That said, there's also the thing that people have a strong sense of connection with bits of history, and this is one of those bits, and it's nice the guides can try to work out where your nth squared great grand-uncles substitute stood, in that amazing charge. Probably over there. near the wall made in 1871 out of the rubble left over when the significant object of this fight was destroyed in a storm.
(seriously I admire docents, they have to work bloody hard to cope with the random stuff people ask. And these guides undoubtedly know their stuff)
The point here is when you pay for a tour, the guide or docent says something about the 12 calibre guns and some neckbeard up the back says "actually.. they were 11.27 calibre, the foundry in charlottesburg had a bad ruler" you know it's gone downhill.
I have literally experienced this going round a bank IT centre in the 70s. Guide says the printers to about 2000 bills a second printing. kid up the back says "It's 2500 I read the brochure"
Not so much at this Gettysburg level, but one of the challenges for volunteer docents is that visitors often volunteer what I call "lore" that is based in myth, folklore, fiction, or folk etymology, and the docent, not having enough time to accurately correct the misinformation, is faced with saying nothing, or "I've heard that too." and moving the tour along. Lore at the level of: "spices can conceal the taste of spoiled meat" and "window glass moves over time, making panes thicker at the bottom." Later, other visitors will defend their misinformation with "Well, someone at <site> said it, so it must be true." Glad to see that NPS has serious standards.
Is this more or less status than Warhammer? Personally I'd say higher status, you're in company with Presidents and Lords in castles. The real pros get the local yokels to run around in the fields with the giant arrows, re-playing the battles of yore so they can watch from the turret (this is a joke so old, it's basically in Tristram Shandy)
Visiting Gettysburg was one of the few times in my life where I’ve done a tour with a private guide. It was way better than I expected. The guide actually drove me and my family in my car and gave us a great experience.
I don’t understand how the civil war has managed to become so many people’s full time hobby. I grew up near all the battlefields. Do you know how boring it is to have so much viable land dedicated just for people to drive around a field that a battle or two was fought 150 years ago? It’s not even like the war-buffs are super into the cause of the war. it’s just like wow a war happened here once, let me collect the antiques ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
People use to hand me antique bullets like they were a prize or something
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That said, there's also the thing that people have a strong sense of connection with bits of history, and this is one of those bits, and it's nice the guides can try to work out where your nth squared great grand-uncles substitute stood, in that amazing charge. Probably over there. near the wall made in 1871 out of the rubble left over when the significant object of this fight was destroyed in a storm.
(seriously I admire docents, they have to work bloody hard to cope with the random stuff people ask. And these guides undoubtedly know their stuff)
I know a decent handful of women who are also “an uber nerd” about these things.
Are they also mansplaining?
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I have literally experienced this going round a bank IT centre in the 70s. Guide says the printers to about 2000 bills a second printing. kid up the back says "It's 2500 I read the brochure"
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People use to hand me antique bullets like they were a prize or something