For the past few years, the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition has been producing a series of Interpretive Murals and Gazebos along the Illinois Lincoln Highway National Scenic Byway and its 179-mile corridor in northern Illinois. Each mural depicts the history, heritage and events of the highway and its impact on the communities. For the gazebos, four panels tell the story of the highway’s history and culture, including one dedicated to the community and its connection to the highway.
Above, the mural at Fulton depicts the bridge that crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa.
Now a list of both murals and gazebos — along with images of each location — are online for viewing or making a check-off list for your next road trip:
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Stuck inside with no road trips till Spring? Click on over to mylincolnhighway.com for a fun look at some LH travels in Ohio. Jamie calls her blog “A somewhat baised guide to the greatest road across the USA.”
Her trips so far are mostly in east-central Ohio but she’s also traveled a few times to Grand View Point near Bedford, Pennsylvania, and even visited the new Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum past Chambersburg. Below, she is at Grand View Point (which was renamed Mt. Ararat a couple decades ago when the Ship Hotel was ark-ified). The view of the gas station across the road. Note the pillar on the right is missing, spelling certain doom for the roof. Also note the graffiti artist reminding us of their trip in “20010″!
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The El Cerrito [Calif.] Patchran an article by Rich Bartke, president of the El Cerrito Historical Society, about the Lincoln Highway. The story concentrates on the San Pablo Avenue, the main artery through El Cerrito, about 10 miles north of Oakland. Early local history is recounted along with Lincoln Highway milestones. The historical society is considering the purchase of two or four new Lincoln Highway signs to identify San Pablo Avenue as a portion of The Lincoln Highway. In 1926, Bartke’s father drove the entire cross-country route in a Model T and snapped the photo below.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Pennsylvania’s Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor has a new home along the Lincoln Highway between Greensburg and Ligonier. LHHC has purchased the 1815 stone Johnston House across from the Kingston Dam. The site will eventually be home to the Lincoln Highway Experience Museum, which will include the restored Serro’s Diner that sat along the LH in Irwin.
LHHC is holding a Grand Opening of its gift shop today, Friday, December 16, 2011, from 3 to 7 p.m. Hot cider and gingerbread will be served. In addition to Lincoln Highway memorabilia and books, you’ll find many fine crafts from the Handmade Along the Highway program.
Contact LHHC at 3435 Route 30 East, Latrobe, PA 15650. New phone: 724-879-4241. www.lhhc.org/.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Mike Kaelin of Tracy, Calif., sends word that Francis (Frank) H. Duarte, 96, passed away on Nov. 22, 2011. He was the last business owner of the iconic Duarte’s Lincoln Highway Garage in Livermore. Frank was born in 1915, the year of the Pan-Pacific International Expo in San Francisco, a prime destination that year for Lincoln Highway travelers. Coincidently, the California LHA Chapter is planning its Winter meeting at Duarte’s Garage on Jan. 7, 2012.
Frank had bought and managed Duarte’s Garage after his discharge from the Army Air Corps in 1945. he had already worked there for his father, Frank, since 1934, then enlisted as an aircraft mechanic in 1939. He is survived by two nieces. Services on Dec. 14 were private, and Frank was interred at St.Michael Cemetery in Livermore. Donations in his name may be made to the Duarte Garage Museum, now operated by the Livermore Heritage Guild. Learn more about the garage and museum at www.livermorehistory.com/.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition has installed the next in the series of Interpretive Murals along the 179-mile Illinois byway corridor. The mural on a township building at 11008 West Lincoln Highway/US 30 in Frankfort, Illinois, depicts the actual Eagle Scouts and Scout leaders who made a Nationwide Safety Tour along the Lincoln Highway in 1928.
The tour was a promotion of the Lincoln Highway and the Scouts’ plan to place concrete markers along the route. The story of their adventure giving safety daily demonstrations, “good road turns,” and helping out wherever needed is told in the mural. Specifically named is Eagle Scout Bernie Queneau, now age 99 and still one of the Lincoln Highway’s leading supporters.
For information on the Lincoln Highway in Illinois, including places to see, stories of the highway’s significance, or to download an Illinois Lincoln Highway Visitor Guide, visit drivelincolnhighway.com/.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Recent blog posts from “Endless streams and forests” have visited a number of Lincoln Highway locales. The writer, Jenny, lives in Asheville, North Carolina, but has traveled far and wide; many of her posts are about the outdoors and “landscape viewed through the filter of history, literature, art, or philosophy.”
Lincoln Highway travels so far have been mostly across Pennsylvania, such as a visit (above) to Williams Deluxe Cabins in Exton.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ran an update about the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor’s plan to open an interpretive center in Pennsylvania. Included was news of the diner being restored. That diner — which I led the effort to rescue in 1992 for the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania (my employer, then and now) — will once again serve travelers, at least with pie and coffee.
The LHHC plans to open the Lincoln Highway Experience Museum in Unity (between Latrobe and Ligonier) near the Kingston Bridge. The diner is being restored by Travis Smeltzer and his crew tore from Travis Smeltzer Construction of Apollo. Smeltzer hopes to have the diner back to its original glory by this spring. The diner was originally bought by the Serro family from the Jerry O’Mahony Diner Co. in New Jersey. There was table seating for 16 patrons and 16 stools at the counter.
The diner was moved to south of Greensburg in 1958 when the Serro family purchased a stainelss steeel-clad diner. John and Lillian Rolka operated it as the Willow Diner until 1992, when it was sold to HSWP, which donated it to the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor in 2003.
From the article:
“We never know what we are going to find,” said Smeltzer as he emptied a bag of muddy silverware found behind the cooking counters of the 1938 diner that first operated on Route 30 in Irwin. All of the items — along with an apron, condiment bottles, bread baskets, ashtrays, old newspapers and receipts — have been cataloged.
“With any project you peel away layers,” said Olga Herbert, executive director of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. “You never know what’s there until you remove the layers.”
Crews discovered stained glass windows under several coats of paint. Beneath a linoleum floor, they found maple floors. The biggest surprise was a solid mahogany refrigerator, with glass-door insets, buried underneath stainless steel framing.
The Unity site includes a stone, Colonial-style home and former tavern built by Alexander Johnston in 1815. The historic landmark, once called the Kingston House and later known as the Johnston House, will house thousands of Lincoln Highway artifacts including signs, vintage postcards and photographs, and other highway memorabilia.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Christopher Noel Plummer, a past president of the Lincoln Highway Association, died November 15, 2011, in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Christopher was born December 19, 1950 in Bedford, Pennsylvania. A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 28 at 11:00 am at the Bridger Valley Baptist Church.
Christopher worked for Tata Chemical in Green River, Wyoming. He enjoyed collecting cars and watching races. He is survived by his wife, Carol Graeber Plummer; son Aaron (Kristen) Plummer of Kennewick, Washington; step-sons Bill (Dawn) Morgan of Overland Park, Kansas, John (Anya) Morgan of Littleton, Colorado, Jeff (Kristin) Morgan of Parker, Colorado; step-daughters Cristel Morgan of Glenrock, Wyoming, and Jennifer Morgan of Ontario, California; 11 grandchildren and a brother Mark Plummer.
Thanks to Kelly Hughes, curator at Bridger Valley Heritage Museum, and Russell Rein for the information. For more, see Crandall Funeral Home.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
WTCA-AM serving Plymouth and north-central Indiana reports that the dedication of a stone Lincoln Highway Kiosk in the 200 block of East Jefferson Street in Plymouth is set for Saturday, November 19, at 1:00 p.m.
The paper (which published the photo above) reported:
The designation came after more than four years of planning by the Indiana Lincoln Highway Association which culminated in a presentation to state officials in April 2010. Plymouth resident Kurt Garner assisted the INLHA (Indiana Lincoln Highway Association) with survey work of the route….
Establishing the route of the highway was mixed with factors such as population centers, grade and land formations, and by influence of politicians. “These factors all played a role in Indiana where a unique situation developed creating a later southern alignment through Plymouth in 1928,” Garner said.
Garner believes the project completion will lead to marketing opportunities for Marshall County. He said, “The Lincoln Highway is already marked across most of Indiana. The INLHA has developed a byway committee that will begin making marketing plans for communities along the route.”
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
I’ve been following a fantastic blog for a couple weeks. Grover Cleveland — his real name — writes “Camera and Pencil in the Mountains” that details his travels in the Sierra Nevada range. Last year he bought a 1919 Model T Ford roadster and converted it into a pickup truck. He’s hoping to follow a good portion for the Lincoln Highway centennial in 2013.
He told me, “I just completed a 1,500-mile trip in Nevada and western Utah. I covered as much of the 1913 alignment as could be found from Verdi, Nevada to Tooele, Utah.” He writes online that he wants to help fellow travelers: “To provide travel notes, recommendations, and some serious safety information. I got in trouble because I didn’t heed some professional advice — you shouldn’t have to.”
For this trip, he loaded his dog Beasley into a 1989 Tiger van: “A conversion on an Astrovan chassis, nicely equipped with kitchen, bathroom, a pop-top, and oodles of radio gear (I’m a ham radio operator – K7TP).”
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The historic Coffee Pot along the Lincoln Highway in Bedford PA has made the news as a possible waste of taxpayer money — but the story is unfounded. Here are a couple news reports.
A handful of Republican Senators really have a knack for rooting out waste in our transportation system — but only the kind of “waste” that is imaginary.
Contrary to claims by Senator John McCain, this giant coffee pot in central Pennsylvania received zero dollars from the Transportation Enhancements program. Despite their claims to fiscal responsibility, Senators Jim Coburn, John McCain and Rand Paul haven’t zeroed in on egregious transportation boondoggles like the $1.7 billion cloverleaf in Wisconsin or the $5.2 billion highway to nowhere outside Houston.
Nope. These “fiscal watchdogs” have taken aim at a $900 million program that provides the majority of the nation’s bike and pedestrian infrastructure. And they’ve used some wild and colorful examples to support their position. Senators Paul and McCain said the Transportation Enhancements program has been used to pay for — no kidding — a “turtle tunnel” and a giant roadside coffee pot.
But this weekend the Associated Press looked into these claims as part of their “Fact Check” feature and found the senators “exaggerated and misrepresented some projects” in their attack. Brent Hugh at the Missouri Bike and Pedestrian Federation breaks down how the AP report should inject some common sense back into the discussion:
The fact check is unusual — every supposedly horrible example of Transportation Enhancements spending is completely debunked. Each example turns out to be either grossly exaggerated or completely misleading. That’s not surprising, because Transportation Enhancements is the single largest source of funding for bicycle and pedestrian funding in the U.S. today, and those projects are important, popular, and much needed.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., raised the issue last month when he temporarily blocked action on a transportation bill. He said he wanted to allow state transportation departments to use all their federal aid on basic needs such as roads, bridges and tunnels, instead of setting some aside for enhancements.
“We are not pouring asphalt, we are not laying concrete, we are not decreasing congestion, and we are not increasing safety,’’ Coburn complained. He produced a list of 39 projects that he said exemplify extravagance at a time when states don’t have enough money to repair structurally deficient bridges.
Coburn picked his examples from the more than 25,000 projects that have received money since Congress established the enhancement set-aside nearly two decades ago.
First on the list: the Lincoln Highway 200-Mile Roadside Museum in south-central Pennsylvania. It was described as receiving $300,000 in 2004 for signs, murals, colorful vintage gas pumps painted by local artists and refurbishing of a former roadside snack stand from 1927 that’s shaped like a giant coffee pot.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was apparently working from Coburn’s list two weeks ago when he offered an amendment to narrow the types of projects eligible for enhancement funds.
“Pennsylvania ranks first out of all states for deficient bridges. Yet it seems to be more important to furbish large roadside coffee pots,’’ McCain said.
But no transportation aid was spent on the coffee pot’s $100,000 restoration, said Olga Herbert, executive director of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. The money was raised entirely from preservation and civic organizations and local supporters.
“We did not use any of this $300,000 award for anything to do with the coffee pot,’’ she said. “It’s interesting that nobody from Senator Coburn’s office called me about this.’’
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
If you have a reliable car from pre-1979, 4 weeks to spare in July 2013, and a sense of adventure, you qualify for the LH 2013 Centennial Tour!
Our goal is to gather 100 participants who will ship their historic vehicles to the U.S from overseas and spend 4 weeks crossing the American Continent on the Lincoln Highway. This will help raise public awareness and renew interest in the Lincoln Highway during its centennial celebration. U.S residents are also encouraged to join the tour making it as grand and diverse as possible. The tour will conclude at the Lincoln Highway’s western terminus; the Lincoln Park in San Francisco on July 26th, 2013, having covered an approximate 3,389 miles and journeyed through 13 states.
In June 2006, 17 antique American cars from Norway traveled Route 66 on its 80th anniversary. The trip was a private initiative by Harry & Henning Kjensli accompanied by friends and like minded Norwegian enthusiasts. The response received from participants and the public inspired them to launch the 2013 Lincoln Highway Centennial Tour. Check the web site for more info, including a schedule of each day’s travels.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Indiana Lt. Governor Becky Skillman, and INDOT Commissioner Michael B. Cline, have signed a resolution designating the historic Lincoln Highway across northern Indiana as an official Indiana state byway. The Indiana portion of the Lincoln Highway now becomes part of the Indiana Byways Program.
The Indiana Lincoln Highway Association (INLHA) was incorporated in 2008 to begin work on the state byway designation. Through private donations from Indiana Lincoln Highway Association members, funds from Indiana Landmarks, and funds from the national Lincoln Highway Association, the INLHA conducted a resource survey to identify the route. Also identified were significant structures relating to Indiana Lincoln Highway such as historic bridges, tourist cabins, motels, gas stations, Lincoln Highway markers and monuments, and tourist camps. Approximately two years ago the INLHA submitted a state byway application to INDOT. Following two review meetings and the approval of the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) across northern Indiana, the application was recently processed for signature by state officials.
The INLHA will now form the Indiana Lincoln Highway Byway Council with representatives from across the state. The INLHA and the Council will oversee the development of a Corridor Management plan that will include guidelines for road signage and the creation of tourism materials to promote the towns and businesses and events held along the route.
For more information, contact the Indiana Lincoln Highway office at 574-210-6278 or contact Jan Shupert-Arick, President, INLHA, at 260-452-8140.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
A former Kearney icon has been replicated at the Great Platte River Road Archway. The Kearney Hubreports that the archway now displays a Hammer Motel sign, a replica of a much larger sign that once stood at the hotel on US 30 at 19th Ave on the west side of Kearney. Ronnie O’Brien, director of education and the Nebraska director for the Lincoln Highway Association, said the Hammer Motel sign was known across the country. The Hammer family operated the motel from 1947 to 1987. It then served as University of Nebraska at Kearney student housing until 1995, when it was razed. A historical marker commemorating a Lincoln Highway Seedling Mile was dedicated in April at the site of the motel.
I first reported on the Hammer Motel in 2008. (click for link)
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The Ohio chapters of the national Lincoln Highway Association, along with the official Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway, are planning to bring over 200 visitors to the McKinley Grand Hotel in June 2012 for a week of lectures, seminars, day-long road trips, and banquets all with the theme of “Pathways & Presidents” and celebrating the Lincoln Highway.
The 2012 Lincoln Highway Association conference begins Monday, June 18, with a welcome reception open to anyone wishing to have answers about the historic road. Later in the week will be a special Marmon automobile exhibit.
In addition to official East and West tours, organizer Jim Cassler says there will be additional trips focusing on Ohio’s Amish Country, a train ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway, and a trip to the Packard Museum in Warren honoring Lincoln Highway co-founder Henry Joy, then President of Packard Motors. Presidential activities will include Canton’s McKinley and the First Ladies Museum, while a trip to Marion will highlight Warren Harding’s involvement in the early highway.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Pennsylvania’s Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor is once again staging a Lincoln Highway Road Rally this weekend, October 8 and 9. This year’s rally will start in Jennerstown and end at Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum in Orrtanna, 12 miles west of Gettysburg, and includes a mystery! Although registration has ended, you can see the group along the way with its many antique car participants.
This year’s rally starts 9:30 a.m. with breakfast at the Coal Miner’s Cafe in Jennerstown, then visit the Bicycle Built for Two Roadside Giant, the new Flight 93 Memorial and the former site of the Grandview Ship Hotel. Lunch at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, then a quilt show and Civil War exhibit at the Bedford County Historical Society. The day will end with a visit to a second Roadside Giant, a giant quarter in Everett.
Sunday includes a stop at the 1920 Seldon Truck Roadside Giant and a visit to Chambersburg, tours of the Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop, and a picnic lunch at Caledonia State Park. The drive will end at Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum about 2:30 p.m.
Participants will be asked to help solve the murder of a former naval officer at the S.S. Grand View Ship Hotel west of Bedford. Clues will be posted along the route to help solve the crime.
To find out more about the rally or other LHHC events, e-mail olga@LHHC.org or call 724-238-9030.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Lincoln Highway Association Past-President Jan Shupert- Arick wrote to say that John Martin Smith was killed on I-69 last night with his wife Bobbie. He was a key figure in founding the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum and the National Automotive and Truck Museum in Auburn, Indiana, both of which were visited during the LHA conference in 2003. Jan writes, “John Martin was a prolific historian and preservationist. He was a friend and colleague and will be deeply missed. His wife Bobbie worked many years at the NATMUS Museum.” Image from www.kpcnews.net/.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
For 14 years, Eric and Kass Mencher have devoted their photographic passion to visually documenting the landmarks, landscapes, and people of the Lincoln Highway. They’re in the final stages of self-publishing a book that celebrates the road’s upcoming anniversary. To see a still-evolving 200+ page prototype click here to see “Almost Heaven.” Make it Full Screen to see the images large.
Even after a self-financed cross-country trip in both directions in 2010, they have some photographic gaps to fill and so are raising funds for the final work. More than $2,000 has been raised from 21 supporters. If you’d like to help, visit http://spot.us/pitches/970-along-the-lincoln-highway/. For donations of $275 and above, you’ll receive an archival print of your choice from the Lincoln Highway project. For donations of $150-$275, you’ll receive a copy of their prototype book. You can even make a donation without paying for it by clicking on “free credits.”
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The Lincoln Highway National Scenic Byway in Illinois received a Scenic Byway Award for the “Interpretive Gazebos and Murals” project in the Interpretation category at the National Scenic Byways 2011 Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The large-scale works of art not only relay the significance and history of the Lincoln Highway, but serve as modern-day tourist attractions themselves. The artwork is produced by Jay Allen at his ShawCraft Sign Co. of Machesney Park, Illinois.
Accepting the award, above from left: Justin Hardee, Heritage Corridor CVB; Melissa Hendricks-Kribs, Illinois Department of Transportation; Cindi Fleischli, Illinois Office of Tourism; Bonnie Heimbach, Northern Illinois Tourism; Bob Navarro, Heritage Corridor CVB; and Sue Hronik, Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition.
The newest Illinois Lincoln Highway Interpretive Mural was installed last week at 67 Main Street in Oswego, Illinois. Only the second vertical mural, it recalls the story of the Boy Scouts of America simultaneously planting thousands of Lincoln Highway concrete directional posts across the nation in 1928.
For more information on the Illinois Lincoln Highway, places to see and things to do, exciting, historic stories and to download an Illinois Lincoln Highway Visitor Guide, please visit drivelincolnhighway.com/.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Long-time LH fan and activist Norm Root has passed away. As reported on a CaringBridge site his family set up, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness just last month. Norm was a Caltrans employee and dedicated preservationist and researcher who helped me with information and images for my Lincoln Highway books.
Gloria Scott, Chief of the Built Environment Preservation Services Branch at Caltrans, commented: “If there is anyone who would be considered the Caltrans ‘Historic Roads God,’ it was Norm—especially for the Lincoln Highway. And Route 66, with his New Mexico roots.”
UPDATE: Gloria Scott sends news that a memorial will be held at Northminster Presbyterian Church on Saturday, October 15 at 2 pm. Gifts to honor Norman may be made to: Norman Root Youth Mission and Camp Fund, Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3235 Pope Ave., Sacramento, CA 95821. Read more at www.legacy.com/.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Long-distance travelers Bill and Karen post wonderful stories and photos about their 2-lane trips. The Ontario couple last drove the Lincoln Highway in 2009 and have used my books to track down every highlight and report back lots of updates. This year they picked up the LH near Downingtown, Pa., on Day 34 of their trip and traveled west to Plainfield, Illinois, by Day 50. Travel along at billstraveljournal.blogspot.com/.
Bill writes: We concluded our Lincoln Highway road trip at the same spot in Plainfield Illinois where we started the journey on July 7, 2009. It also marks the spot where we concluded our Route 66 road trip in 2008. This spot is where the two roads share the same 3 blocks…. All we need to do now is to drive from Times Square NY to Exton PA and we will have completely driven the Lincoln Highway from beginning to end.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
A new brief video by VintonToday features antique cars that participated in last weekend’s Lincoln Highway tour across Iowa, specifically at the restored Youngville Station between Cedar Rapids and Belle Plaine.
The accompanying music — unfortunately uncredited — is Buddy Nutt singing Goin all the Way On the Lincoln Highway, which he wrote for the PBS Lincoln Highway program produced by Rick Sebak.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Harold de Bock, who lives in Holland (but studied at IU Bloomington Indiana in the 1970s) is about to depart on a Lincoln Highway trip across the Midwest. He’ll pick up his motorcycle — a 1980 Yamaha XS850 Midnight Special — on Wednesday Aug 31 to test ride the bike after 2 years of idle, then on September 6 he will start his LH adventure in Fort Wayne at Cindy’s Diner. He’s meeting a guy who has the same type vintage motorcycle and will travel that afternoon to about Valparaiso. He continues:
September 7 I hope to have coffee in the morning with the LHA’s Jeffrey Blair. And then later in the day I will meet another person at Rochelle who also has the same motorcycle as I do and he will ride Lincoln Highway with me. So, as opposed to R66 and Dixie Highway which I did solo, this will be a ride-for-two. I will ride US 6 (Grand Army of the Republic Highway) back. I need to be back in Bloomington for the centennial celebration of the School of Journalism at Indiana University, my alma mater 1971-1974.
I have copied the detailed maps from your Lincoln Highway Companion book on A4’s which I will have in a plastic folder on top of my fuel tank – so you will be my guide.
For English language ride reports visit his site www.harolddebock.nl/?page_id=16 (they appeared originally in the Ride Report Forum on http://yamaha-triples.org/ – the site also contains two extensive Pictorial Sagas of those trips).
Twitter @harolddebock
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Also this weekend is the fabulous cross-state Iowa Lincoln Highway Motor Tour sponsored by the Iowa Lincoln Highway Association. Here are pics from last summer: Youngville Cafe by Jeff & Tammy LaFollette, and the lunch stop at Woodbine by Osberg.
This year’s tour began in Council Bluffs and heads east, ending in Clinton County on Sunday, August 28. The historic route travels nearly 330 miles across Iowa through the communities of Council Bluffs, Denison, Carroll, Jefferson, Boone, Ames, Marshalltown, Tama, Cedar Rapids, and Clinton. More information can be found on the Iowa LHA website, or contact tour director Jeff LaFollette at (563) 349-3047.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The 28th annual Lincoln Highway Days will be held in Nevada, Iowa, starting today, August 26–28, 2011. Each day will feature carnival rides and games, food, and much more.
Friday, Aug. 26: Celebrate with fun on the Story County 4-H grounds. Lincoln Highway Days Rodeo. Teen and adult dances with live music and refreshments.
Saturday morning Aug. 27: One of the biggest parades in Story County. National Guard honors our Soldiers at War along the route of the Lincoln Highway. Klassy Kruisers antique cars. Antique Tractors. BBQ contest. Lincoln Highway Day’s Baby contest. More teen dancing.
Sunday Aug. 28: A grand day for walking through the Craft building and the Varied Industry building and the Flea Market.
The first Lincoln Highway Day was held October 1983, in conjunction with a celebration of the finished railroad overpass west of Nevada.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition (ILHC) has published its new Visitor Guide in print and online. The 56 pages were completely redesigned to pack in even more info, fun facts, and mobile device compatibility. ILHC manages the 179-miles of the Lincoln Highway, a National Scenic Byway — the only state so designated. The guide reach more than 50,000 readers.
Visit drivelincolnhighway.com for more information, access to its newsletter, an iBrochure, and to get the visitors guide either mailed to you or as a downloadable PDF.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
LHA headquarters in Franklin Grove, Illinois, received a call that Ron Preston passed away last week. He was the son of George Preston, whose sign-covered gas station in Belle Plaine, Iowa, is a shrine for Lincoln Highway fans. George bought the station in 1923 for $100 and became famous for his endless tales of LH lore, which I got to enjoy on a visit there in 1991. After George’s death in 1993, Ron cared for the it and adjacent garage full of petroliana. LHA’ers saw Ron at almost every annual conference.
Kass and Eric Mencher, who are documenting the Lincoln Highway and publishing their images in an e-book, captured the station and Ron last year. Visit their blog page below by clicking on the image.
George’s most famous moment came on March 21, 1990, when he appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The interview starts around 2:30.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO The Evening Sun of York, Pa., reports that a pair of classic railroad cars that greeted Lincoln Highway travelers to nearby New Oxford have been demolished and sold for scrap.
The article explains that Stephen Hieber had the two passenger train coaches next to his business on Lincolnway West in New Oxford. His company, PWI Inc. (which specializes in petroleum dispensing products), acquired the two blue-gray Baltimore & Ohio Railroad coaches at auction in 1999. The company has rented out the 80-foot coaches to various small businesses but for the past three years, no one was willing to take on the expense of renting the coaches. With restoration too expensive, Hieber decided to sell them for scrap.
The two B&O coaches came to rest in New Oxford in 1972 thanks to business owner and railroad enthusiast Paul Wagner, who purchased the discarded cars and had them delivered and carefully placed in a V shape next to the tracks on the south side of Lincolnway West. Wagner used the coaches as home for his Paul’s Model Railroad Shop….
“There is no way a small business can afford the heating and cooling costs,” Hieber said. “There is no insulation. They are literally steel cans.”…
The coaches, built in 1930 by the Pullman Company and rebuilt in 1948 in the B&O shops, were used for service between St. Louis and Washington, according to a 1972 Hanover Sun story….
“If somebody had come along I would have been happy to sell them,” he said. “It doesn’t make me any happier than anybody else.”
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Join the first annual Lincoln Highway Adventure along Indiana’s historic Lincoln Highway, August 5 and 6, 2011. The fun event will coincide with the Buy-Way Yard Sale stretching across several states. Kick off the Adventure at Downtown South Bend’s First Friday Cruise-In, then the next day pilot your crew through New Carlisle, LaPorte, Valparaiso, Dyer, and back to Plymouth for the Adventure’s Closing Picnic.
Each registered vehicle will receive an Adventure Bag with a dash plaque, discount coupons, an Adventure Passport and a booklet containing turn-by-turn directions and information about sites, great stops and communities along the way. Compete in the Lincoln Highway Scavenger Hunt, a geo-cache hunt and check in via FourSquare, or stay connected through your other favorite social media. Families, Car Clubs and Caravans welcome! Find reservation and pricing at: www.lincolnhighwayadventure11.eventbrite.com For more information or questions contact: Indiana Landmarks’ Northern Regional Office at north@indianalandmarks.org or (574) 232-4534.
Click the map above for a full-size view of the Lincoln Highway.
Like this blog? You'll LOVE my books!Lincoln Highway Companion features detailed maps and places to eat and stay. Click the book to buy it on Amazon.
Click the Greetings book below to purchase the ultimate guide to the history and route of the Lincoln Highway!
Another fun book! The Ship Hotel: A Grand View along the Lincoln Highway recalls the greatest roadside attraction along the coast-to-coast road.
And for those who LOVE diners, click the book below to purchase our completely updated guide to the history, geography, and food of Pennsylvania's Diners!
Check out the Lincoln Highway gifts app I created for Facebook
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
