What are you reading now?

[L Verge]

I absolutely refuse to get addicted to electronic books! When I die, I want a copy of Twenty Days to be placed in my casket!

That said, let me tell you about a little occurrence that happened in the parking lot at Surratt House a few Saturdays ago. One of my staff members happened to look out a window and see a van pull in and ten people hop out and stand around a person who was obviously a tour leader. We are quite used to this, so she expected to see them come into the visitors' center to purchase tickets. That didn't happen.

The tour leader pulled out a large iPad and began discussing the Surratt history. This went on for about five minutes with the group staring intently at the iPad. After a few questions, they decided to come into the visitors' center -- TO USE OUR BATHROOMS ONLY. The leader made the mistake of leaving his iPad on the counter, and my staff person was able to see that it was displaying photos of the interior of Surratt House.

When the bathrooms had been well-used, out they went (didn't even go near the book shop), no doubt headed for the Dr. Mudd House to pull the same trick there. This tour leader had obviously been to Surratt House earlier, taken the photos he needed, and transferred them to his electronic tour instructor. We do allow visitors to take all the photos they want, however, we are owned by a government organization that does not allow their properties to be photographed for money-making ventures without a special permit. I'm the first step in getting that permit, and I'm one of those pit bulls with lipstick!

We know of at least one other entrepreneur who has developed a combination book/CD/computer guide for the public to take along on a self-guided tour. No permission was granted for him to do this, but it is out there and selling for a hefty price. I'm sure there will be more. One friend tried to comfort me by saying that audio tours are great on battlefields, but that this one will be a little tricky on a 75-mile-plus tour over the escape route.

The tours at Surratt House are ridiculously cheap, but worth every penny (and yes, I'm prejudiced): $3/adults; $2/seniors; and $1 for children. Those under five are free. From Memorial Day through Labor Day each year, we offer free tours to active and regular retired military personnel and up to six dependents. We also have one free weekend each year.

Even our famous Booth Escape Route Tours are inexpensive at $75/person. The Smithsonian tour costs over $150. The electronic age, however, may very well take away the education that can be had from trained guides who volunteer because they have a love of and vast knowledge in the field of history. No more interacting with humans and benefiting from their knowledge -- just play the CD or whatever for ten minutes or so and hurry on down the road. This will destroy many small museums in the U.S.