Weekends seem like a good time to run shorter stories. First up is an interesting shot from John and Lenore Weiss of an outhouse and tractor – know where it’s at? We’ll start with a general clue that it’s a well-known LH stop in the Midwest. Please leave your guesses by clicking Comments below the picture.
Next time you’re in Austin, Nevada, Jan Morrison will scoop you an ice cream cone or rent you a room for the night. The desserts come from her Main Street Shops, located in an 1881 merchantile, where she offers everything from Victoriana to local art to souvenirs from Nevada and the Lincoln Highway. It’s at her coffee shop there that you can get ice cream or fresh-baked biscotti.
Her rooms are at the c. 1950 Lincoln Motel, which has 17 units, three of them studios with kitchens. Just look for the reproduction LHA concrete post out front. Jan says it was put there last summer by the Nevada Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association, which has worked hard placing the posts and other signs along the route through Nevada.
Since she took over the motel about a year-and-a-half ago, Jan has been making improvements such as paving the entire parking lot, updating the plumbing and electrical, replacing carpet and painting nearly every room, and adding wi-fi. She encourages reservations (775) 964-2698 because “we and the other motels easily fill up by 8 pm. Sometimes touring groups reserve the entire motel. If you head west, Fallon (1.75 hrs) usually has rooms, but if you are heading east, Eureka fills up just as we do.” It’s also the only motel in Austin that accepts pets.
Of course, the history here stretches before car travel: “It is built on the site of the first silver mine in 1862, the year that the “Rush to the Reese River’ started. There were over 20,000 mining claims around Austin and its population went from a few miners to nearly 10,000 people just a few years after the silver discovery.” Here’s a photo or click here for an extra-large wide-angle view.
Jan has more info about her businesses and interests here but she is a big booster for the entire area: “We have hundreds of miles of biking and hiking trails, beginning to expert. The bike trails include ‘one track’ and ‘two track’ routes and go through forest, meadows, desert, and some very challenging climbs and drops. Several of the trails start right in town at the park or the east end of town where a bike shop used to be. (Unfortunately, the business moved to a larger market area in Elko, so there is no place to rent bikes anymore.) We have free bike trail guides at most merchants and in the courthouse (not open on weekends). The Chamber of Commerce will mail them out in advance, call (775) 964-2200. We are also a central place for day trips to ghost towns, fishing, hot springs, hiking, and off-road exploring. We have 13 buildings and sites on the National Register and are working hard on restoring them.”
The famous Haines Shoe House in south-central Pennsylvania got a fresh look through the efforts of Hampton Hotels’ Save-A-Landmark program. Built in 1948, the 3-story stucco shoe and its fence were painted at no charge of materials or labor. Carleen and Ronald Farabaugh have owned the house since 2003, giving tours and selling ice cream, and occasionally staying overnight. Carleen told me there’s always work to be done but they are thrilled with what the company’s 15 volunteers accomplished: “The Shoe House was desperately in need of a facelift. Hampton’s generosity should help to preserve the Shoe House for years to come so everyone can enjoy it.” She adds that all revenue is put into its restoration.
The house was built as a promotional gimmick for Mahlon Haines to advertise his chain of shoe stores—he’d loan the shoe (actually, a work boot) free to honeymooners and retirees who lived in a town that had a Haines Shoe Store. The house was set back a bit from the Lincoln Highway, but a Route 30 bypass now runs just outside its windows.
Chris Epting, author of numerous books on roadside landmarks, was there as spokesman for the Save-A-Landmark program doing TV and radio spots: “This was another wonderful opportunity to be a part of helping to restore a vital roadside landmark. This program continues to succeed on levels that are unprecedented for these kinds of efforts, and I’m very proud to be working with Hampton Inn as we move forward to the next landmark.” Also attending was Kyle Weaver of Stackpole Books, editor of my books and working with Epting on a forthcoming Stackpole title, The Birthplace Book. The photos seen here were graciously loaned by Kyle.
Hampton donated $20,000 in supplies for the Shoe redo, and organized a collecting effort for Soles4Souls, a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes shoes for people affected by natural disasters.
Hampton Hotels’ Save-A-Landmark program has helped preserve more than 30 American architectural oddities since 2000. The Shoe has it’s own Hampton page, and an article about the event ran in the York Daily Record.
A historical marker was unveiled October 6 at the Elk Grove Hotel & Stage Stop Museum, adjacent to Elk Grove Heritage Park, 9941 East Stockton Blvd. The LHA, the Elk Grove Historical Society, and the city’s Historic Preservation Committee joined efforts, and funding was provided by the Elk Grove Auto Mall. Elk Grove Historical Society President Anita Peters and Generations Director Jeanette Lawson unveiled the historical plaque, seen below. Overlooking the ceremony from behind is Milt Webb’s Model T. See a closeup of the marker here:
LH logo signs (with a brown “historic” tag on top) were presented to the historical society and the city by CA State Director Bob Dieterich and CA Chapter President Norm Root, seen here with Elk Grove Historical Society president Anita Peters:
Visit the Elk Grove Historical Society’s Lincoln Highway page for more information and photos.
I’ve been adding to the links column to the right, listing libraries to check your email or learn about local history; non-chain motels; and restaurants with local flavor. I have lots more to add, though admittedly very few ideas for lodging or restaurants along the Lincoln Highway in New Jersey. Anyone have recommendations?
Above: Tourist cabin along the Lincoln Highway, 3 miles east of Lisbon, Ohio, now an apartment.
Randy Garbin recently reported on his Roadside Online about an amazing collection of roadtrip photos titled Lighting Out for the Territory. They’re on Square America, named for the common shape of old candid photos, and “dedicated to preserving and displaying vintage snapshots from the first 3/4s of the 20th Century” Collector/curator Nicholas Osborn says, “For the last eight years or so I’ve spent countless hours digging through boxes of old snapshots at flea markets (mostly here in Chicago and in NYC) and too much money buying photos on eBay. The site is my attempt to create some kind of organizational framework, however idiosyncratic, for the sprawling mess my collecting has created.” Here are two from “Lighting Out,” with his permission:
Above: Looking west on the Lincoln Highway east of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, early 1970s.
And here’s his description:
“From the late 1950s through the early 1970s, Martin C. Johnson took a number of road trips criss-crossing the country from his home in Suburban Chicago to both coasts and all points in between. For each trip he put together a slide show to document his travels. Judging from these shows, he (and his wife who must be responsible for at least some of the photographs) was far more interested in the road itself than wherever his final destination might have been. For every photograph of Mount Rushmore or The Grand Canyon there were three or four shots of the empty (or not so empty) road taken through the windshield of the car. For every shot of friends and relatives visited, there were two of the motels he stayed in on the way. In doing so Johnson has left behind an invaluable record of the golden age of auto travel – an era when the new interstate highway system had opened up the country but before the development it brought had homogenized it.”
Osborn’s site is filled with countless images from about 1910-1970, grouped into categories. You might also enjoy shots from The Road:
The images are both amazing and invaluable to roadside fans, but also a reminder that the past was not nearly as tidy as we like to remember, or recreate, it.
One of the most popular posts here has been the October 31 story about a bear stuck overnight on the Rainbow Bridge at Donner Summit, and how volunteers rescued it the next day. The bridge is on a rerouting of the Lincoln Highway—the original path can still be seen snaking through the “subway” beneath the old railroad tracks, but that was bypassed in 1926 by the road that includes this bridge. Truckee Animal Control Officer Dan Olsen has graciously loaned more of his on-the-spot photos that show the dedication and determination of volunteers who rigged a net, tranquilized the bear, and lowered it to safety. Thanks again Dan!
Click on these for a larger image:
I was asked by MasterCard to be part of their online Priceless Picks campaign. There are lots of interesting places in people’s picks; I chose roadside attractions and of course included some Lincoln Highway sites. Here’s a link to mine, where you’ll find LH mentions of the fun Shoe House in Hallam, Pennsylvania, and souvenir-filled Fort Cody Trading Post in Nebraska. There’s also a photo to click of Peppi’s Diner on the LH in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. Other picks include Wigwam Village motel on Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona; the crazy Mexican restaurant Casa Bonita in Denver; dinos battling Civil War soldiers at Dinosaur Kingdom in Natural Bridge, Virginia; and the 1950s-era Eddie’s Grill in little Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio.
Jeff Durbin of Gaithersburg, Maryland, also visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania recently, and sent this postcard of an auto garage on Chambersburg Street. It’s the same one seen in my photo of the Ragged Edge Coffeehouse (you can see the house too that’s now the coffee shop). Looks like they sold Texaco gas, and the caption on back told early motorists what other amenities awaited them:
The New Eberhart Garage is located on The Lincoln Highway (Chambersburg and Washington Streets). Opposite the New Eagle Hotel and is the finest Garage in southern Pennsylvania having a storage capacity of 150 cars, unsurpassed service, with no waiting to be served. Ladies Rest Room on main floor, free air throughout the building and to the front curb. Absolutely fire proof, constructed of brick, concrete steel and terra cotta. Competent Mechanics. Day and Night Service. Storage, Supplies and Repairs.
A few days after my story ran on the Covered Wagon, an article perhaps inspired by this blog ran on the front page of the Kearney Hub. It even featured my 1950s postcard of the place (though initial editions like the one below erroneously credited the image). Writer Todd Gottula talked to the owner and contractor, who is adding a second floor to convert the building into offices with log siding.
Gottula pinned down some dates: the Covered Wagon was sold to Boyd McClara in 1939, then Nick and Rose Ponticello purchased it in 1963. Nick auctioned many of the souvenirs in 2001 before selling the property to Hayes.
Jamie Hayes, who purchased the property four years ago from Nick Ponticello, says he wants to return it as close as possible to its original look. Since work started around the end of September, motorists keep stopping to talk with contractor Ray White and sons. Hayes says the amount of interest is unbelievable, with most making sure the site is being preserved, not destroyed.
A whimsical postcard view from a Covered Wagon attraction, courtesy Bernie Heisey.
Gottula reported in a sidebar story that the site inspired local musician Mike Nicolen to write a song about the Covered Wagon after meeting the Ponticellos in 1999. His thoughts, also on his website, mirror that of many old-time LH fans: “I think instead of building a $50 million archway across the interstate to commemorate westward expansion, they should have sent someone with a tape recorder and camera out to see Nick and Rose.” Nicolen’s site explains further, “Nick and Rose held on to the place and kept it open into their 80’s when health problems finally forced them into a nursing home…. Nick told me once that the Archway people wanted to buy him out and move his beloved Covered Wagon out to the Interstate. He said ‘Why don’t you pick up your Arch and move it out here? I’ve been here a lot longer than you’ve been out there!'”
Nicolen’s song likewise tells how I-80 and the Archway draws traffic from the 2-lane. Click Here to listen to Covered Wagon courtesy of the Kearney Hub or go to Mike’s site and scroll down to the last song, He tells the story from Nick’s point of view. with lines like:
Parked along the highway of our dreams
Facing westward, time moves onward here in the land of opportunity
Now they travel down I-80 doing 85 or more
They gas up at the interchange they’ll never see my store
Click the map above for a full-size view of the Lincoln Highway.
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