A Miniature Gettysburg “Relic Tower”

Heritage Auctions

Miniature Gettysburg “relic tower”

The Artifact

A miniature Gettysburg “relic tower”

Condition

The piece is in perfect condition, retaining all of the original crazed varnish finish.

Details

Hardly had the guns fallen silent at Gettysburg in the summer of 1863 before soldiers and civilians looked to satisfy their craving for artifacts and mementos connected with the epic battle. Decades later, the interest in such items hadn’t diminished; indeed, the increasing scarcity of battlefield artifacts, coupled with the growth of battlefield tourism, helped start a new industry: the manufacture of Gettysburg souvenirs by skilled artisans. One such person was local furniture maker John Good, who produced a variety of popular keepsakes to sell— from desk sets to jewelry boxes—made from relics gathered on the battlefield. Around 1900, Good used various pieces of wood to create this hand-carved “relic tower.” Standing 12 inches tall and topped by a tucked wing eagle perched on a ball about the size of a grape shot, the tower contains a number of elements on its multiple tiers, including several Army of the Potomac corps badges and ink stamps reading “Wheatfield,” “Devil’s Den,” and “Meade’s Headquarters.” On the side shown here, a typical Civil War brogan appears above an elaborate rosette; below them are the insignia of the V Corps and a cannon. Also visible is part of a bullet embedded in the wood.

Quotable

On August 16, 1869, The New York Times published an account from a correspondent who had recently visited Gettysburg that underscored the strong public interest in relics associated with the battle. Of his walk around Culp’s Hill, he reported, “Here … are still visible the marks of fierce warfare. The trees are scarred and mutilated all around, and what war has spared, the chisel and the knife of the relic-hunter have destroyed, so that the whole place is a perfect wreck. These relics, in the shape of bullets and broken pieces of shells, are becoming very scarce, and if the demand continues it will be necessary, as in other similar cases, to manufacture them to order.”

Price

$5,078 (realized at Dallas, Texas, in December 2010). “Only a handful of these towers have turned up over the years,” a representative of Heritage Auctions noted at the time. “It is as much a charming piece of American folk art as it is a rare Gettysburg battlefield souvenir.”