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Archive for the ‘Road trip’ Category

Last chance to visit Calif LH ghost town this Sat

May 4, 2009

Don’t forget that this Saturday, May 9, will be the last chance for the public to visit Clarksville, California, and one of the longest (and off-limits) sections of original Lincoln Highway between Sacramento and Carson City, Nevada.

As reported here earlier, the long-abandoned town of Clarksville, just outside of El Dorado Hills, California, is set to be cleared and developed in the next couple years. The property is now private land but the owner has agreed to open the site for the annual Clarksville Day historical celebration. About dozen structures remain from the town that, if not large, was once thriving. Cars will be able to drive the Lincoln Highway this one last day; click HERE for a full schedule of events.

Above, the Clarksville Region Historical Society crew, preparing the site for the festival, stands on the Lincoln Highway. Photo by Pat Thomsen, Secretary, CRHS.

Update: The local newspaper just did a preview story.

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2009 LH BUY-WAY Yard Sale dates announced

April 28, 2009

The fifth annual Lincoln Highway BUY-WAY Yard Sale is being planned for August 6, 7, and 8, 2009. Sales will stretch from Chester, West Virginia, across the Ohio River through Ohio and on into Indiana and Illinois.

Ohio, the originator and most active promoter, announced that although the “Lincoln Highway Historic Byway” designated by ODOT is the 1928 route across the state, there are several earlier alignments that will also have sales and will celebrate the history of the road, almost doubling the 241 miles of sales across the state. Last year there were an estimated 750 sales.

For the past two years, a Travelers Guide with maps and info on sales and activities has been distributed free along the corridor. Executive Director Mike Hocker encourages churches, restaurants, or any organization to participate and take an ad. Call him at (419) 468-6773 for details before May 15 or visit http://www.historicbyway.com/.

Tags:Buy-Way, Historic Byway, Lincoln Highway, Ohio, yard sale across states
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As summer nears, Alice's drive revs up

April 24, 2009

By now, you’ve read here about the recreation of Alice Ramsey’s pioneering drive in 1909, making her the first woman to drive across the U.S. Most of her route west of Ligonier, Indiana, would become the Lincoln Highway four years later.

This summer, Emily Anderson, 38, of Seattle, will retrace Alice’s trip in an identical 1909 Maxwell, thanks to her father Richard’s expert efforts to create one from parts. The Cedar Rapids Gazette has a nice article about local efforts to welcome the Maxwell when it arrives there June 18, 2009. The writer gives a nod to Gregory Franzwa’s reprinting of Alice’s memoir of the trip.

The trip launches June 9 from Broadway in New York City. Read more at aliceramsey.org including how they’re test driving it for 1,000 miles before the big trip.

Tags:1909, adventure, Alice Ramsey, antique cars, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, transcontinental, travel
Posted in film/video, highways, history, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, transportation, travel | Leave a Comment »

No time for news – write, edit, proof, repeat …

April 22, 2009

There’s no breaking news today and I’ve been working nonstop since noon Wednesday to finish my book on the Ship Hotel. It’s getting there but still rough in the Noah’s Ark chapter and the deadline looms hours away.

Tags:Bedford PA, book publishing, Lincoln Highway, Noah's Ark in PA, roadside attraction, Ship Hotel
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, lodging, Road trip | 3 Comments »

Lincoln Highway book signings across Indiana

April 21, 2009

Former LHA president Jan Shupert-Arick has been giving presentations and signings for her new book and postcard set, The Lincoln Highway Across Indiana. She researched this photographic history of the LH through Indiana by acessing private collections, historical societies, museums, and libraries in Indiana and Michigan. She reports, “It’s been fun so far!”

Look for Jan at these locations:
Allen County Public Library (Fort Wayne), Sunday April 26, 2 p.m.
Studebaker Drivers Club Zone Meet (South Bend), Sat-Sun May 1-2
Center for History (South Bend), Friday May 8
The History Center (Fort Wayne), Saturday May 9, 2 p.m.
For more information, call (260) 471-5670.

Jan is a native of northern Indiana and her family has roots in the state’s automotive history. She is a past president of the Lincoln Highway Association and past director of the Indiana Lincoln Highway Association. She serves on the northern Regional Council for Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. Her book covers both the original route across northern Indiana and the 1926 mid-state realignment.

She hopes that this work will serve to honor Abraham Lincoln’s legacy in this the bicentennial year of his birth as well as Indiana’s automotive and road building heritage: “My intent is that this book will serve as a lasting reminder of Indiana’s leadership in building the nation’s first coast-to-coast auto road. I hope that it will reflect the spirit of Indiana that embraced the road as a patriotic effort to improve commerce by building good roads to move goods and to provide a road for private citizens.”

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Model Ts and Sebak's road tales dazzle at Frick

April 20, 2009

PBS producer Rick Sebak, whose A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway debuted in October, dazzled attendees to the Frick Art & Historical Center’s Model T Jubillee weekend with tales of road trips near and far. Here he is recalling a trip he almost drove from South America:

A number of Model Ts were on display and can be seen through Sunday May 3 as part of A Revolution on Wheels: The Model T at 100. The Frick has borrowed four vintage autos to supplement the 1914 Model T Touring car already in its collection: a 1909 Model T Touring Car, a 1917 Model T Runabout, a 1925 Model T Depot Hack, and a 1926 Model T Coupe.

Here, a display of Model T parts and ephemera sits in front of the 1909 model:
And here is the 1917 Runabout outfitted as a fire chief’s car:
They also have a freshly restored 1908 Buick:
Visit the Frick’s Car & Carriage Museum at 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze, www.frickart.org, (412) 371-0600.

Tags:1908 Buick, antique fire chief car, car museum, Frick museum, Lincoln Highway, Model T, PBS producer, restored automobile, Rick Sebak, road trips
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Fish Springs to offer trails class for its 50th

April 14, 2009

The Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, a wetland mecca along the Lincoln Highway in western Utah, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The refuge was established in 1959 by the Migratory Bird Commission and is managed as a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The celebration will take place May 9-10, 2009. Billed as a weekend of Wildlife, Wildlands, and History, participants will accompany instructors in the field for natural history classes in any of three sessions (two on Saturday, one Sunday). Topics will include land birds, aquatic birds, aquatic botany, area geology, refuge archeology, and most notably, a class titled Fish Springs the Crossroads which looks at the many important pioneer trails that passed through the refuge.

ABOVE: Refuge manager and LHA membership coordinator Jay Banta was photographed by PBS producer Rick Sebak as the crew filmed for last year’s Lincoln Highway program.

Refuge manager Jay Banta says that class will cover “the Jackass Mail, the Pony Express, the Central Overland Stage, the Transcontinental Telegraph, the Lincoln Highway, and maybe even a bit of the CCC history as they built most of the country roads in our part of the world.” Classes are limited to 20 students and require pre-registration, available online, by email, or by phone — see below.

Camping will be allowed on the refuge Friday May 8 and Saturday May 9. There will be a group potluck dinner on Saturday with a “Campfire” program by manager Banta and some surprise guests!

The refuge is 135 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Commuting time is approximately 3.5 hours from SLC, with half of that distance being gravel roads.

For more information check the Special Events at http://fishsprings.fws.gov or e-mail fishsprings@fws.gov or call the refuge from 7 am to 4:30 pm, M–F. (435) 831-5353 x2

Tags:50th annniversary, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Lincoln Highway, Utah, western trails history, wetland, wildlife refuge
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, transportation, travel | Leave a Comment »

Lincoln Highway Companion sample arrives

April 11, 2009

It’s always a surprise — and a relief — when a book you’ve been working on for years finally arrives in finished form. Today I was finally able to hold and look through a completed Lincoln Highway Companion, sent on ahead by the printer. Ahh, the smell of fresh ink and new paper!!

Like my last book, Roadside Attractions, this one incorporates written contributions from dozens of friends and fellow old road enthusiasts; it’s an honor to include their roadside recommendations.

No matter whether others like your book or not, you know every image, every fact, every comma had to be chosen, tracked down, and approved. It’s like your child — you love it no matter what. I filmed a little video preview of Lincoln Highway Companion for YouTube that you can play here too.

Tags:highway history, Lincoln Highway, new book, Road trip, travel, U.S. roads
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, roadside, travel | 10 Comments »

Not much else but LH Companion book news

April 7, 2009

With Spring travel not yet here and snow surprising many of us, there’s not much news from the road, but my editor just sent some good news – a few honest-to-goodness samples of my Lincoln Highway Companion book have arrived! These go out to booksellers that want a look before ordering, and perhaps reviewers. I’m hoping to see one too — he says “Looks great!!!” but I’ll still be anxious till I see it myself. Here’s a photo from it of the Frazer Diner that Stackpole Books posted on Facebook. Click it to see it a bit larger.

Tags:1930s diner, 1960s Chevy convertible, classic Chevy, Diner, Frazer Diner, Lincoln Highway, new book, PA, Road trip, travel
Posted in food, highways, history, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, roadside | 1 Comment »

Ohio touts its Lincoln Highway highlights

April 3, 2009

The Ohio Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor issued a press release geared to catch the attention of those planning springtime road trips. Titled Springin’ Along the “Lincoln,” it promotes cruising the Lincoln Highway in Ohio as a fun, close-to-home get-away. Below is a portion.

You may not find the world’s largest ball of twine but you will be able to do some serious antique shopping or visit a museum or two. Travel games can be created around identifying Highway period (1913-1928) buildings, historical monuments, spotting courthouses or locating old road alignments. And there is always plenty of home-style cooking and apple pie eating along the way….

During its 15 years, some “alignments” of the Lincoln Highway were changed to improve travel. Driving these older alignments today reveals charming small communities waiting to be explored. Today these areas may be unknown, but in the early days of the Lincoln Highway, everyone going east or west would pass through them. They were on the nation’s map and known by all who traveled the highway.

The ol’ Lincoln is out there, waiting to share its charm and history. for more information and maps, visit www.historicbyway.com or phone 419-468-6773.

Tags:historic highway, Lincoln Highway, Ohio, Road trip, travel
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