The Pennsylvania Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association is hosting an informal get together on Saturday, April 4, at 2:00 p.m. at the Blue Parrot Bistro, 35 Chambersburg St (Lincoln Highway) in Gettysburg. There will be games, prizes, refreshments, and lots of old road talk. There is no charge to attend, but please R.S.V. P. by April 1, 2009, and bring a friend.
R.S.V.P. by April 1 to Mindy Crawford at mindygc@earthlink.net or (717) 880-6275.
Have a listen to the Lincoln Highway bluegrass band playing I’ll Fly Away.
For something more familiar, a Beatles tune from Rubber Soul:
LHA director Mindy Crawford alerts us that the concrete Lincoln Highway marker at Ogontz and E. Market Street in York, Pennsylvania, was hit by a car on February 23. “One of our members has been trying to track down where it went. The only information he could get was from the police and the water company who both said it was laying there when they left! It is, of course, gone now.”
If you have any information, please contact Mindy, who is also Executive Director Preservation Pennsylvania, at mcrawford@preservationpa.org or (717) 880-6275. Also keep watch at regional antique shops and on eBay. The posts, which have a directional arrow on the side, weere planted in 1928 to mark and commemorate the Lincoln Highway.
California LHA newsletter editor Gary Kinst writes with an intriguing story and photo. “Wondering how many Lincoln Highway collectors have come across one of these signs? I would guess that there weren’t more than 13 at anyone time. I discovered this sign at a Gas Bash (petroleum collectors swap meet) in Escalon, California. After returning home I searched the internet for Lincoln Highway State Consul signs and came upon the exact same sign that had been sold at auction in Las Vegas last month.”
The original Lincoln Highway Association used a system of consuls to monitor the road for improvements, problems, etc., at state, county, and local levels. Tell us if you know more about these signs and if you’ve ever seen one.
Dennis Crowley, who is walking the coast-to-coast Lincoln Highway in portions, has refined his schedule for this fall. Click HERE for the itinerary from Sacramento, California, to Ely, Nevada. He’s also used the LHA DeLorme-based mapping system chart his trip, broken into 3 parts:
mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=4cbwtpmf
mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=k3d1sv1f
mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=z7dv4jmd
The numbers coordinate with the walking days.
Long-time LHA members will recognize the photo below as the first organizational meeting of the Lincoln Highway Association — taken 9 am, Saturday, October 31, 1992, in front of the City State Bank in Ogden, Iowa. The 44 attendees came from 7 states. Hard to believe but already the history of the new LHA is fading. The names were preserved when they signed in but only a third can be matched to the picture. Van and Bev Becker of the Iowa LHA are trying to identify them all — can you help? Click the image to see it larger.
Here are those that they and I think we have correctly identified. Click the key below to see it larger too.
3 Harry Monnier
6 Helen Ausberger (?)
11 John Fitzsimmons
15 Clare Frantz
17 Ruth Franz
18 Margaret Ebert
20 Carol Ahlgren
21 Mary Ann Beecher
24 Larry Adams
25 Jim Powell
27 Bob Owens
28 Bob Ausberger
32 Marvin Wolfe
37 Ty Cosotti (?)
38 W.E. “Earl” Givens
39 Joyce Ausberger
40 Gregory Franzwa
Those not identified:
Ken Huffaker
Keith D. Cooper
Kerry Clough-Petersen
Tony Hampton
Harry Gardner Jr.
Frances Phipps
Helen L. Smith
Andy Back
Gary Alban
Roger W. Dahl
Sue Scott
Joan J. Lingren
Opal Telleen
Carl L. Telleen
Robert A. Teller
Mark Boehm
Bob Adwers
Lucille Adwers
Molly Marsh
Doris McGregor
Bill McGregor
Marge Robson
Clare Robson
Ellen Johnson Paton
Jay Kustes
Lyle
Brandi
The Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission has announced events for March and beyond. The group aims to organize and coordinate bicentennial tributes to Lincoln in Pennsylvania and coordinate those activities with the federal Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. Forthcoming events include the 2009 Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, June 21-27, focusing on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the life of Mary Todd Lincoln. Gettysburg is along the Lincoln Highway in central Pennsylvania and was an important point along the route to the LHA’s founders. Also this month, well-known Lincoln impresonator James Getty will rake his one-man performance to Lancaster-area libraries. Click HERE to download a PDF summary of events or HERE to see the full schedule online.
I met with LHA member Jim Peters today as he makes his way across the country. He’s exploring brochure ideas for the Lincoln Highway Association. Much of his trip, though, will be along Route 66 to browse some of the brochures that have made that road such a success, and such a pleasure to tour. I made sure to show him one of my favorites — the Illinois Historic Route 66 brochure (seen at right), which features a map spread over 11 panels. (Download it HERE.)
In anticipation of the forthcoming LHA conference, pick up one of the new Indiana Lincoln Highway brochures, seen above. They feature a map of the route and info on other Lincoln-related sites in the state. If you’re too far away, you can request one from their website, or view the actual brochure online HERE.
The March/April 2009 issue of Midwest Living has a 5-page article about the Lincoln Highway and Route 66 (though 66 gets the mention on the cover as you can see at right). The title is “Touring Route 66 and Lincoln Highway: Follow the route of the first super roads across the U.S.” The focus is on the midwest, so for the Lincoln that means Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. Click HERE to read the magazine’s online excerpt, though you’ll need to pick up a hard copy to see the photos.
The re-creation of the 1919 trip across the country of the U.S. Army Transcontinental Motor Convoy is making the news as the event approaches. Papers such as the Clinton, Iowa, Herald are reporting lately on the convoy’s passing through their areas. The original convoy is perhaps best remembered today for including young Dwight Eisenhower.
Sponsored by the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, up to 150 military vehicles will retrace the convoy’s itinerary, which followed the Lincoln Highway for most of its route west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This 26-day convoy will depart from Washington D.C. on June 13 and arrive in San Francisco on July 8, crossing all or part of 11 states.
For more information visit www.mvpa.org and click the 2009 Convoy button on the left. Click HERE for the complete schedule of stops.
Also, the new Indiana LHA brochure includes not only a map of the Lincoln Highway but a description and map of the convoy trip. Visit www.indianalincolnhighway.com to request one.
Click the map above for a full-size view of the Lincoln Highway.
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Click the Greetings book below to purchase the ultimate guide to the history and route of the Lincoln Highway!
Another fun book! The Ship Hotel: A Grand View along the Lincoln Highway recalls the greatest roadside attraction along the coast-to-coast road.
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