Washington & Gettysburg: 1938 Tour

This circa 1938 silent reel, Washington & Gettysburg, captures charter bus trips in black-and-white 16mm. Tourists clown by DeCamp and Hudson Bus Co. buses—some marked "Green Tours"—lingering near Alexandria, Virginia’s monument and cherry blossoms. In Washington, D.C., groups roam the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Reflecting Pool, U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, Pan American Union, and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington. Views from the Monument show The Mall’s empty spaces, Potomac River, and White House. At Gettysburg’s battlefield, memorials rise, while Valley Forge’s observation tower hosts climbers. Men line-dance with canes, adding levity to this pre-war travelogue.