Archive for the ‘museum’ Category
January 2, 2014
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The Lincoln Highway Experience Museum east of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, has launched a new postcard exhibit. “Wish You Were Here” features six greatly-enlarged postcards showing iconic locations along the Lincoln Highway in central and western Pennsylvania.
A screen shot from the Trib Live news story about the postcard exhibit.
The postcard backs are also reproduced, including the personal handwritten messages. All paid visitors to the museum will also receive a free new postcard (and stamp) to write out and address while at the museum.
The museum has an archive with more than 3,000 Lincoln Highway postcards. It is located just west of the Kingston Bridge on US 30 eastbound. The exhibit is located in a room of the historic 1815 Johnston House, one of the oldest structures along the Lincoln Highway.
Read more at
http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourligonier/5236930-74/postcard-museum-highway
Tags:highway history, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, museum, Pennsylvania, postcards, roadside attraction, US 30
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, museum, Road trip, souvenirs, travel, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
January 23, 2013
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The Joliet Area Historical Museum, at the crossroads of the Lincoln Highway and Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois, is asking for help in restoring its 1928 Lincoln Highway concrete marker. According to a release, the museum hopes “to raise $5,000 to restore the highway marker which is deteriorating rapidly. Restoration includes: stabilizing the interior rebar, re-adhering the broken segments, removing bronze disease, brightening the paint, and displaying it inside.” Of course, there is no paint — the colors are in the concrete — but the rest sounds like a worthy endeavor.
Read more HERE in the release:
Tags:1928 concrete marker, concrete post, highway history, historic highway, Illinois, Joliet IL, Lincoln Highway, Route 66
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, museum, signs, transportation, travel, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
November 2, 2012
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 graphics and vintage photos complimented by stories that convey the Lincoln Highway’s impact on America and its increasingly mobile society. A detailed map and a replica 1928 Lincoln Highway marker help visitors find the route on paper and on their next rip on the road. The Joliet Area Historical Museum is a popular jumping-off point for followers of Route 66 heading west from Chicago to the Pacific coast.
Tags:highway history, historic highway, Illinois, Joliet IL, Lincoln Highway, museum exhibit, Route 66
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, museum, roadside, transportation, travel | 1 Comment »
July 11, 2012
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 moved to 1301 4th Ave (west end of Main Street, green line on map) in 1921 when the Lincoln Highway’s route was changed through Belle Plaine. George started working there in 1923 at age 13 and soon purchased the Standard Oil station for $100. It later became a Phillips 66 and remained operational until 1989. George and wife Blanche also operated a 3-room motel.
After his passing in 1993, the site was cared for by his eldest son Ronald with the same passion and intuition, and he continued collecting memorabilia until he passed away in 2011.
Ron’s daughter Mary Preston wrote to say, “We have no intention of selling the corner but in the same breath we must sell some of the ‘clutter’ on Preston’s Corner.” The family is working with the Lincoln Highway Association and Belle Plaine Historical Society to preserve The Corner for travelers to step back in time.
Objects for auction include gas pumps, toys, furniture, books, farm equipment, a 1927 Model T … and lots of signs.
For additional information about the auction see www.billkron.com/duwa.12-0811.html
Tags:auction, Belle Plaine IA, gas station, highway history, historic highway, Iowa, Lincoln Highway, petroliana, roadside attraction, travel
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, museum, roadside, signs, souvenirs, transportation, travel | Leave a Comment »
December 15, 2011
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/.
Tags:California, highway history, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, Livermore CA, vintage gas station
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, museum, roadside, signs, transportation, travel | 1 Comment »
November 23, 2011
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 former Serro’s 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 (as of 2012, the museum has opened). The diner is being restored by Travis Smeltzer and his crew from Travis Smeltzer Construction of Apollo, in consultation with preservationists. 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 1938 O’Mahony diner, originally along Lincoln Highway/US 30 in Irwin, 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.
Read more at
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_768642.html
Posted in food, highways, history, Lincoln Highway, museum, Road trip, roadside, travel | 5 Comments »
October 6, 2011
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 http://www.kpcnews.net/.
Tags:ACD Museum, Auburn IN, historic highway, Indiana, Lincoln Highway, NATMUS Museum
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February 7, 2011
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 for the blaze that destroyed the museum and its 10,000-piece elephant collection. “I’m very blessed,” Gotwalt said. “I’m very excited. I want to share this with the world.”
The new museum features two elephant sculptures made from salvaged pieces of the destroyed elephant souvenirs. You can visit at 6019 Chambersburg Road/U.S. 30 in Orrtanna, between Chambersburg and Gettysburg, from 10 am – 5 pm daily; admission is FREE. Contributions made to the Tammy Lee Cullison Save the Animal Fund, in memory of Gotwalt’s daughter, will be given to the SPCA in Gettysburg and Chambersburg and an animal sanctuary in Tennessee.
Tags:elephant museum, highway history, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, museum, Pennsylvania, Road trip, roadside, roadside attraction, travel
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, museum, Road trip, roadside, travel | 1 Comment »
December 13, 2010
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 lighted and decorated Christmas trees and decorations in the interior. There will be a large lighted and decorated Christmas tree in the barn where visitors can make their own ornament to hang on the tree. Santa Claus will be there for the children, Buffalo Bill will talk to visitors, and music will flow from the old piano in the mansion. Outside there will be roasted chestnuts, hot apple cider, and cookies. Draft horse-drawn hay rack rides will also be available, weather permitting. Admission is $5 per person at the door, children 12 and younger are free. Park entry permit required.
Buffalo Bill Ranch SHP
2921 Scouts Rest Ranch Rd
North Platte NE 69101
(308) 535-8035
Tags:Buffalo Bill, Christmas at old mansion, Cody mansion, highway history, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, Nebraska, North Platte NE, Scouts Rest Ranch
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October 5, 2010
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 News for an interesting article on recent renovations at Harrison County Museum/Welcome Center in western Iowa. A description of what you’ll find at the center follows this image of the Loess Hills overlook.
Phase I of the project included the Lincoln Highway surface demonstration – showing how the surface of the Lincoln Highway changed from dirt to gravel, to brick etc. It includes bricks from the streets of Missouri Valley that had been stored at the museum prior to the tornado that hit in 1999 and were saved for future use. Also included in the expansion are Lincoln Highway interpretive panels, an auditorium showing films on the Loess Hills and Lincoln Highway, a children’s transportation play scape next to a cabin court picnic area, a scenic overlook observation platform, among other signage.
Tags:highway history, historic highway, Iowa, Lincoln Highway, museum, welcome center
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, museum, Road trip, transportation, travel | Leave a Comment »
Lincoln Highway News 