This photo measures 9 3/4” x 7 3/4”, on an 14” x 11” mount.  Features a group of 8 men standing in front of a building, with a group of 10 women standing on a balcony above them.  A US flag waves at left, with small US flags attached to the building above on the balcony as well as below, partially obscured by those standing in front of them.  Attached to the railing on the balcony is a banner reading, “REUNION / C_O. G 1^ST P_A CAV / 1861 – 1865.”

Overall in good condition. Some damage and loss to 3 out of 4 corners of the mount. On the reverse is a photographer’s mark, “C. A. GOODHART, / PHOTOGRAPHER, / Dealer in Picture Frames & Mouldings. / SHIPPENSBURG, PA.”.  Handwritten in ink on the reverse is “Williams Grove?”  This photo would appear to have been taken at Williams Grove, as the building looks very similar to that which appears in our item 1254-165, which is identified as having been taken there.

There is also a notation written in pencil on the reverse which is faded and difficult to make out; a portion appears to read, “Mrs. C. S. Kister / Mechanicsburg, PA.”

The 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry (Companies A through G) was organized at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania as the "44th Volunteers" and mustered in for state service in July and August 1861 under the command of Colonel George Dashiell Bayard.

The formation of Company G was commenced by Captain Jacob Higgins, at Hollidaysburg, Blair County, Pennsylvania, from a volunteer company called the Blair County Dragoons. About the middle of August, 1861, having collected a few men as a nucleus, he proceeded with them to Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, where with part of a company from Lisburn, Cumberland county, and recruits collected while in camp, the company was filled and its organization completed, by the election of Jacob Higgins, captain, David Gardner, first lieutenant, and H.S. Thomas, second lieutenant.  This company having been principally recruited at Harrisburg, during the return of the three months men, was collected from all parts of the State, and among its members has representatives from thirty two different counties. The company was mustered into the State service, August the 22d, and into the United States service, August the 28th, 1861, when it was assigned to the First Pennsylvania Reserve Cavalry.  It arrived in Washington, August the 29th, where it joined the regiment.

Companies H, I, and K were organized at Camp Wilkins in Pittsburgh, August 1861. Company L was organized as an independent company on July 30, 1861 and served duty at Baltimore until January 7, 1862 when it joined the regiment. Company M was organized as an independent company August 5, 1861.  The 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry ceased to exist on June 17, 1865, when it was consolidated with the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry and 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry to form the 2nd Regiment Pennsylvania Provisional Cavalry.  The regiment lost a total of 201 men during service; 9 officers and 87 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 104 enlisted men died of disease.  For additional information on the regiment and list of battles in which they took part, click here.

Williams Grove Amusement Park, started in 1850 and now defunct, may be the location that this reunion was held.  The Williams family began hosting picnics in 1850 at a small grove near Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Within a few years, the grove was developed into a park. In 1873, the Cumberland Valley Railroad, which operated the newly constructed Dillsburg and Mechanicsburg Railroad, leased the grove from the Williams family, planning to build it into a resort destination. Williams Grove's positioning along the railroad made it a promising location for travel. That summer, a small gathering of local chapters of the Pennsylvania State Grange was held at the grove. Within the coming years, the gathering would become a farmer's fair known as the Great Grangers’ Picnic Exhibition, which brought in upwards of 100,000 guests from more than 30 states over its week-long stay. The exhibition's popularity brought success to Williams Grove.   [ld] [ph:L]

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