In 1938, many thousands of people gathered in Gettysburg for the 75^th Anniversary of the battle. It was the last great reunion of blue and gray with 25 battle veterans and approximately 20% of living war veterans in attendance. It was during this event that the Peace Light Memorial was unveiled and dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt.

Also in attendance were Jody and Louis Appell Junior, who joined their parents for the momentous occasion.  Louis Appell would grow to lead the famed Pfaltzgraff kitchenware company and one of the largest early radio broadcasting conglomerates, the Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Company. Louis passed away in 2016 while Jody passed away in 2024 at the age of 100.

Nine black and white photos are included in this grouping, depicting interesting scenes and sites from the event.  Eight are mounted to an album page labeled “GETTYSBURG – June 31, 1938 – last REUNION OF CIVIL WAR VETERANS”.  Four images are mounted to this side, each one labeled with a short description; “REGULAR ARMY CAVALRY”, “UNION VETERANS – TAKEN FROM “PASS” TENT”, “WALTER V. BAMAM – JODY – JULIA – MRS. VAN BAMAM – AUNT MARY – UNCLE BILL” (All seated on the Peace Light Memorial), and “GENERAL WARREN”. The opposite side has four more mounted phots labeled “TRACTORS – NOTE MEN POSING”, DEVIL’S DEN – MOTHER – JODY – TOM – BILL” – the next two are under a sub-heading which says “July 2, 1938” – and are labeled “VIEW FROM OBSERVATION TOWER, BIG ROUND TOP”, and “TOP OF OBSERVATION TOWER – BRO. – TOM – DAD BIG ROUND TOP”. A ninth loose photo is labeled “VIEW FROM LITTLE ROUND TOP GETTYSBURGH JULY 2” and shows a view from the interior of the 44^th New York Monument.

A short letter accompanies the collection and was written by Jody to a well-known Licensed Battlefield Guide.  In two paragraphs, she describes finding the photos while looking for something else and mentions possibly having more and not wanting them back. She mentions gifting them to Sue due to her deep knowledge of the battle and her love for the place.  The reverse features a penciled date of “2007” with “Jody and Louis Appell, Jr. (1924 - ) (1924 – 2016) CEO of Pfaltzgraff” and “Jody’s family attended the 75^th Anniversary of Battle of Gettysburg in 1938. These are the family snapshots.”

This is a truly unique record of one of the most important post-war events held at Gettysburg.  Any Civil War or Gettysburg-centric collection would benefit from having these.  [cm][ph:L]

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