Popular Joliet museum gets Lincoln Hwy exhibit

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO The newest project by Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition is not a mural or gazebo, it’s an exhibit at the Joliet Area Historical Museum in Joliet, Illinois. The unveiling coincided with the first-ever Illinois Scenic Byway Week, recently designated by Governor Quinn. The new exhibit offers striking … Continue reading →

Petroliana auction of Preston’s gas station in Iowa

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO An auction is set for Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 9 am for highway memorabilia from the famous gas station once run by George Preston in Belle Plaine, Iowa. Not to worry — the signs on the station and adjacent garage are not being sold. The station … Continue reading →

Duarte’s Lincoln Highway Garage owner passes

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 … Continue reading →

Diner to again serve Lincoln Highway travelers

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 … Continue reading →

ACD and NATMUS Museum founder in fatal crash

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 … Continue reading →

Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum rebuilt, reopens!

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO The York Dispatch ran a nice story (and the photo below) about the reopening of Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum, a popular Lincoln Highway roadside attractions west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Seven months after arson destroyed Ed Gotwalt’s business, the museum opened Saturday. State police have no suspects … Continue reading →

Christmas at Cody’s 1880s mansion & barn

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO Visitors can again enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas at the Cody ranch with a tour of Buffalo Bill’s home on Friday, December 17 from 5:30 pm-8 pm. The 1886 mansion, 1887 horse barn, log cabin, and outbuildings are all decorated with lights. The mansion will have 18 … Continue reading →

Iowa welcome center celebrates Lincoln Highway

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO The electronic highway is akin to the early network of roads in the US: exciting changes happen daily but there’s still lots of work that needs done; you can guess that I’ve had some computer problems lately! To get back on track, click on Southwest Iowa … Continue reading →

Lincoln & Dixie highways marker dedication

A historical marker for the Lincoln & Dixie highways will be dedicated on Saturday, October 2, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. EDT at the southwest corner of Washington and Michigan streets in South Bend, Indiana. All are invited to join a reception and program immediately following at the American Trust Place – Blue Gallery, 101 N. … Continue reading →

Edison Tower restoration continues in NJ

Al Pfingstl sent an update on the Edison Tower in Edison, New Jersey, the site of the inventor’s Menlo Park laboratory. It’s part of the 36-acre Edison State Park, which is also being rejuvenated to include a newly constructed museum (replacing a tiny one from 1947) and outdoor interpretive exhibits. The building contractor has begun … Continue reading →

Review of Shelton’s Lincoln Highway Festival

The Grand Island Independent ran a nice follow-up to the Lincoln Highway Festival in Shelton, Nebraska, including a walk through of the LH Visitor’s Center there. Following are some parts of their story. But now as the 80-year-old Nebraska president of the Lincoln Highway Association, Stubblefield is doing more than watching the highway and its … Continue reading →

New site helping Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum

Todd Keeran writes, “Just wanted to let everyone know I set up an (admittedly amateur) website at http://www.savemistereds.com/. My kids really loved the store and museum and I’m primarily hoping to gather some elephant donations to help the museum rebuild.”

Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum destroyed by fire

Olga A. Herbert, Executive Director of Pennsylvania’s Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor, just alerted me that Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum in central Pennsylvania has been destroyed by fire. Owner Ed Gotwalt has spent decades amassing his collection of elephant-themed objects joined to a candy and gift store; he also serves on the Corridor board of directors. … Continue reading →

Newspaper tours Lincoln Highway sites in PA

A photo feature by Diane Stoneback for The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa., features a couple dozen interesting photos of the Lincoln Highway in central Pennsylvania. Most places, like the Shoe House, get a number of views. And note, when a guy at Dutch Haven holds up a LH book, there are others such as … Continue reading →

Edison Tower celebrated; restoration planned

Al Pfingstl, LHA director for NJ, wrote that on Sunday May 16, 2010, the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation held an 85th Anniversary Celebration of its Menlo Park Historical Site. He also passed along an article from The Star-Ledger (January 24) that tells of restoration plans: Edison Township took its name from the famed inventor who … Continue reading →

Brick Lincoln Highway pillar dedicated in Ohio

Mike Buettner sent along a May 9 clipping from The Lima News about a new Lincoln Highway pillar in Ohio. Dedicated on May 1, 2010, near Williamstown, it stands where an original one had been set in 1930. The Eagle Creek Historical Organization (ECHO) planned the dedication with a meeting of the state’s LHA chapter. … Continue reading →

Lincoln Hwy lecture set for RailsWest Museum

Here’s a release reprinted from Southwest Iowa News about a talk this Sunday in Council Bluffs. The Historical Society of Pottawattamie County will celebrate the Lincoln Highway in the final lecture of its spring lecture series at the RailsWest Railroad Museum, 16th Avenue and South Main Street. On Sunday, Francie O’Leary, project manager for the … Continue reading →

Whiteley talks tonight about old Colorado trails

Author Lee Whiteley will present “Old Trails of Northern Colorado: From Foot Paths to Interstate” at 7 p.m. tonight, March 8, at the Loveland Museum/Gallery, 503 N. Lincoln Ave., Loveland, Colorado. The slide show, sponsored by the Loveland Historical Society, will revisit the Trappers’ Trail, Cherokee Trail, Overland Trail, several auto trails, and the Lincoln … Continue reading →

More on Lincoln Highway bricks that moved west

Updating yesterday’s story on Brian Cassler’s efforts to deliver bricks to Nebraska, dad Jim sent this photo and info on where they came from: The bricks were uncovered in the summer of 2007 when Tuscarawas Street (the Lincoln Hwy through downtown Canton, Ohio) was unearthed as a part of a street renovation project. Former LHA … Continue reading →

Next gen gets Lincoln Highway bricks to archway

An Eagle Scout project for Brian Cassler will be a gift for Lincoln Highway fans forever. The Kearney Hub reports that Cassler’s efforts will result in a recreated stretch of the transcontinental road at the Great Platte River Road Archway that spans I-80 in central Nebraska. The Kearney paper has 25 photos online, as seen … Continue reading →