Ron Preston, son of famed gas station owner, dies

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 … Continue reading →

New Lincoln Highway mural for Morrison Illinois

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition has completed another of its impressive Interpretive Murals that line the 179-mile Illinois byway corridor. The detailed painting at 208 East Main Street in Morrison, Illinois, depicts the 1921 Whiteside County Fair. The hand-painted scene shows that the newly paved Lincoln … Continue reading →

Calhoun Street route between NJ – PA turns 150

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO An important link in the Lincoln Highway is examined in an article in the PhillyBurbs.com that also includes this vintage photo (note the Lincoln Highway sign at left). The first bridge across the Delaware River between Trenton NJ and Morrisville PA opened 150 years ago on … Continue reading →

York PA Lincoln Highway Restaurant sign for sale

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO A constant stream of Lincoln Highway memorabilia shows up on eBay, less so on craigslist. But here’s a sign from the Lincoln Highway Garage that was on Rt. 462 in York that advertised the LH Restaurant inside. The station is long gone, replaced by a Turkey … Continue reading →

Blair blog a fun trip along the Lincoln Highway

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO Jeff Blair has been walking the Lincoln Highway across Indiana to promote the highway but also asking for pledges of support to be split evenly between the Alzheimer’s Association in Indiana and the Indiana Lincoln Highway Association. He has reported on his walk daily since he … Continue reading →

Latrobe drive-in theater safe for now

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO For years, reports have floated that the Hi-Way Drive-In Theater in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, was to close and be replaced by development. Most recently, Target has been the retailer of choice, but the drive-in along the Lincoln Highway has made clear it’s stance: posted on the marquee … Continue reading →

Malta mural features Lincoln Hwy Seedling Mile

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition announced the completion of its newest Interpretive Mural along the 179-mile byway corridor: 127 N. Third Street in Malta, Illinois, on the Malta Historical Society’s Old Town Hall. The Malta mural showcases the Lincoln Highway’s first Seedling Mile with a detailed … Continue reading →

Boardwalk Empire features Lincoln HIghway sign

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO PBS producer Rick Sebak wrote to say that the premier of the new HBO series Boardwalk Empire, about the arrival of Prohibition and the growth of organized crime, featured a Lincoln Highway sign. Young Al Capone was driving a load of stolen liquor to Chicago when … Continue reading →

Fire levels Cheyenne’s Hitching Post Inn

LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO A beloved Lincoln Highway landmark, the Hitching Post in Cheyenne, Wyoming, has been destroyed by fire. Various newspapers covered the fire and aftermath, including an initial story by the Caspar Star Tribune. This article in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle recalls some history: The Hitch, as it … 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 →

More Lincoln Highway signs for California route

The Tracy Press reports that more reproduction LHA “Control Station” signs are being posted along the original Lincoln Highway route in western California: “A sign tacked on the front of the Tracy Inn provides another identification of 11th Street as a route of the historic Lincoln Highway, the first highway network to span the nation … Continue reading →

New Haven is new site of old LH marker

The News-Sentinel of Fort Wayne, Indiana, reports that one of the 15 remaining Lincoln Highway concrete markers in the state has a new home in front of New Haven City Hall, 815 Lincoln Highway E., just a few feet from the road’s original route. “Our board felt that one of the markers should be on … Continue reading →

Education award for PA Lincoln Highway group

The Somerset Daily American reports that Pennsylvania’s Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor has been selected by the national LHA to receive the Educator of the Year Award at its forthcoming annual conference. Executive Director Olga Herbert will accept this award on June 25 in Dixon, Ill. The award is a result of the organization’s Roadside Giants … 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 →

Kearney plans 2013 Lincoln Highway centennial

The Kearney Hub reported on the Lincoln Highway Association’s plans to celebrate the road’s centennial in the Nebraska city, including new signage. “This is something that we have wanted to accomplish for a number of years, and it’s wonderful to see the signs up representing the history that once passed through our community,” said Sarah … Continue reading →

Preview next 4 Lincoln Highway murals in Illinois

The next four Lincoln Highway Interpretive Murals in Illinois will be on display at ShawCraft Signs, 7727 Burden Road, Machesney Park TODAY from noon to 5:00 p.m. Recently a mural was installed in Dixon to tell the story of the 1919 Military Convoy as it traveled cross-country, including a young Dwight Eisenhower.  The mural tells … Continue reading →

Iowa’s Lincoln Cafes go opposite ways

Two stories tell two different tales of Lincoln Cafes located along the Lincoln Highway in Iowa. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that “Matt Steigerwald, owner and chef of the Lincoln Cafe in Mount Vernon, has retained his title as the Midwest region’s ‘Prince of Porc’ after winning the Cochon 555 competition for the second straight … Continue reading →

Pollardville roadside attraction demolished in CA

A colorful roadside attraction along the Lincoln Highway in western California is finally being demolished after closing in 2007. The Lodi News-Sentinel reports that Pollardville, “once home to staged gunfights, Vaudeville plays and juicy fried chicken, was systematically demolished Tuesday morning.” The site included a ghost town that featured the set of the 1957 film “The … Continue reading →

Mural for Army’s Transcontinental Motor Convoy

Here’s a story from Sauk Valley Newspapers (Dixon-Sterling, IL), April 6, 2010: DIXON – The City Council on Monday approved two lease agreements for painting a mural that will be at Galena and River roads. The mural, part of a series of Lincoln Highway Association projects, will re-create members of the first Army Transcontinental Motor … Continue reading →

20 years ago, George Preston took LH to Tonight

Van & Bev Becker of Iowa sent a reminder that it was 20 years ago today that George Preston appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson to tell some of his endless stores about the Lincoln Highway. The March 20 Cedar Rapids Gazette mentioned it in the “Times of Our Lives” column by Jim … Continue reading →