Posts Tagged ‘historic highway’
August 18, 2009
From 250 yard sales the first year, to over 1,000 individual pull-off yard sale events this (fifth) year, this seemed to be the biggest BUY-WAY Yard Sale ever. Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway Director Mike Hocker noted everyone said sales were up, traffic was up, and the money was up. Small communities like Leesville, Gomer, Oceola, and Robertsville were almost wall-to-wall yard sales. Many included the wonderful aroma of hot dogs and sausages on the grill, and many had coolers of bottled water…many free for the asking. There are 39 communities across Ohio’s portion of the Lincoln Highway.
Hocker said “his year’s BUY-WAY poster child was Van Wert. They have both the Route 127 sale AND the Lincoln Highway sale in town for three days. And, it was they, themselves, who extended the invitation to the Rt. 127 folks (who had never even thought of extending their yard sale that far north before), and added fairgrounds activities–flea markets, a rib cook-off, a free concert, a cruise-in, a car show, a tractor drive, making for full hotels, happily “slammed” restaurants, busy gas stations and other retails, over 300 yard sales (many as big as 30 vendors in one stop), and called it a CROSSROADS Festival.”
Next year’s dates will be determined and announced at the end of the month. For more information, go to:www.historicbyway.com.
Tags:Buy-Way, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, Ohio, yard sale
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, roadside, travel | Leave a Comment »
August 14, 2009
Dedicated 2-lane traveler Denny Gibson leaves tomorrow to travel the Lincoln Highway in his 2006 Corvette for the next couple weeks, then hook up with other Corvettes heading back east. That growing caravan will depart San Jose on August 29 heading to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for the museum’s 15th anniversary party planned for Labor Day weekend. They will follow the Lincoln Highway to Denver if not literally at least in spirit, though Denny will be back on the 2-lane. That’s him below last year at the Lincoln Highway’s Western Terminus marker.
There are only five overnight stops for the Corvettes:
Aug 29 — 250 miles Reno, Nevada
Aug 30 — 520 miles Salt Lake City, Utah
Aug 31 — 528 miles Denver, Colorado
Sep 1 — 540 miles Topeka, Kansas
Sep 2 — 480 miles Evansville, Indiana
Follow along at dennygibson.com, where Denny always posts tons of great photos and info to go with them, or check out Denny’s experiment into the world of Tweeting at twitter.com/dennygibson/.
Tags:Corvette on the road, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, vacation
Posted in highways, Lincoln Highway, Road trip, roadside, travel | 3 Comments »
August 4, 2009
Carrie Kreiger, who has lived 96 years along the Lincoln Highway, recently shared her memories with Mike Hocker, executive director of Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway. Hocker collects stories of the highway as a way of preserving the its history. The story was retold in the Massillon Independent newspaper.
“Eighty years ago, I sat and watched them (build the roadway).
“They took part of our front yard to widen it to four lanes. We would watch those poor guys lay bricks all summer long.”
As a recent graduate of Washington High School, Kreiger said she and her siblings would get up early every day and sit on the front porch and watch the men lay bricks that would make the dirt road into a “singing” street.
“That is when I graduated from high school in 1930,” she recalled.
*Thanks to long-time diner and highway friend Rudy Turkal for the lead.
Tags:96-yr-old recalls, brick roads, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, OH, Ohio highways
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July 29, 2009
Anyone who has driven the Lincoln Highway near Lancaster, Pa. — especially east of the city on US 30 — knows that traffic congestion makes it near impossible to enjoy the road’s heritage. Now the Lancaster County Planning Commission has released an enhancement plan to address traffic, signage, and accessibility. You can view the PDF HERE.
The report states:
This project is the first step in implementing the Lancaster County Strategic Tourism Development Plan, adopted by the County Commissioners in 2005….
The Lincoln Highway is a high priority because:
• It’s a highly visible gateway into the city and surrounding countryside
• It’s an important part of the county’s economy
• It plays a key role in the county’s tourism “mix”
The publication lists the many problems and potential solutions. One challenge is that the area is known for rural and Amish attractions, but the crush of tourists and modern businesses has pushed out many farms and even the mid-century fabricated attractions.
In the 1990s, local officials cited tourist complaints that there was nothing to do after dark, when Amish-themed attractions closed. The response led to outlet malls, which have spawed more chain stores and wide highways, resulting in the disappearance of almost all vintage businesses and buildings. Accessing any of it is frustrating for tourists and commuters, not to mention horse-drawn buggies. It will be interesting to see if such growth can now be reined in.
Tags:Amish-themed businesses, Gateway Enhancement Plan, historic highway, Lancaster PA, Lincoln Highway, PA, road challenges
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, roadside, signs, transportation | Leave a Comment »
June 10, 2009
A DVD written and produced with the Indiana State curriculum for 3th and 4th grades features the Lincoln Highway. “The Lincoln Highway Story” was produced by Ed Chamberlin and narrated by Bruce Chamberlin with guest appearances by Dr. Patrick Furlong, Professor Emeritus, Indiana University, South Bend, IN and Jan Shupert-Arick, author and past president of the Lincoln Highway Association.
The DVD chronicles the history of the Lincoln Highway. Chapters include: background about the Highway, Carl Fisher’s and Henry Joy’s influence in the development of the Highway, the Lincoln Highway Association and the part it played in promoting the Highway, route determination, the Ideal Section in Indiana, the success of the Highway and the rebirth of the Lincoln Highway Association. This DVD was produced by Chamberlin Video Productions, Mishawaka, IN.
Cost is $10 plus $2.95 for shipping and handling from the Hannah Lindahl Children’s Museum, 1402 S. Main St., Mishawaka, IN 46544, (574) 254-4540, http://www.hlcm.org/.
Tags:curriculum, DVD, historic highway, history lesson, Lincoln Highway
Posted in film/video, highways, history, Lincoln Highway, transportation, travel | Leave a Comment »
May 29, 2009
A new custom Visa Platinum® Rewards Card offers scenes from the Lincoln Highway and benefits the national Lincoln Highway Association. Five different scenes representing the coast-to-coast road are available.
Some of the specs:
• $50 donation to LHA by the bank when you first use the card, plus ongoing contributions.
• 0% Introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months.
• Earn points and bonus points at online and neighborhood retailers.
• Redeem points for merchandise, tickets, gift cards or travel rewards.
• No annual fee and no additional cost to you.
Get more information at www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/.
Tags:highway scenes, historic highway, Lincoln Highway, Visa helps an old road
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May 19, 2009
Libraries in five Ohio counties along the Lincoln Highway now have the new PBS DVD, dedicated in memory of a Mid-Ohio Lincoln Highway League member and advocate of the road’s history.
Wayne (Wooster), Ashland, Richland (Mansfield), Crawford (Bucyrus) and Wyandot (Upper Sandusky) libraries were given a copy of the national PBS documentary A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway produced by Rick Sebak and WQED Pittsburgh.
The show’s final segment features Esther McNaull Oyster Queneau, an Ashland native and founder of Ohio’s Lincoln Highway League in 1993.
In its statewide meeting held in Massillon on May 2, the Ohio League voted to provide the DVDs to honor the late Howard Donbar, a long-time member of the Mid-Ohio chapter. The five counties receiving the gifts are in the Mid-Ohio membership area.
Anyone interested in joining the advocacy group can contact President Mike McNaull at (419) 281-3064. The DVD is available for purchase at www.lhtp.com/.
Tags:DVD, historic highway, libraries, Lincoln Highway, Ohio, travel
Posted in film/video, highways, history, Lincoln Highway, roadside, travel | Leave a Comment »
May 6, 2009
The 1915 routing of the Lincoln Highway through Fort Wayne, Indiana, will soon be marked with red, white, and blue markers. The [Fort Wayne] News-Sentinel reports that the new signs for the old road will be dedicated by Mayor Tom Henry on May 21, 2009. Currently the only nod to its existence are at each end of the 1915 Harrison Street Bridge, noting the distance to New York (724 miles) and San Francisco (2,660 miles).
Two weather-beaten stone signs easily missed by passing motorists, there are few visible reminders of downtown Fort Wayne’s importance to America’s first transcontinental highway….
“Now you’ll be able to drive around Allen County and know where the road was,” said [Jan Shupert-Arick,] Fort Wayne resident and author of a new book about “The Lincoln Highway Across Indiana.”…
“Right now, it can be frustrating (to find the old highway) in urban areas. There are dead-ends and other obstacles,” Shupert-Arick said, noting that the soon-to-be posted route won’t direct anyone “where it’s not safe.”…
When Henry proclaimed May “Historic Preservation Month,” he said, “We understand that moving forward into our future includes honoring our past, and we know how important it is to the vitality of our city to ensure strong revitalization efforts.”
Marker dedication will be at the Lincoln Highway Bridge—Harrison Street at the St. Mary’s River. Call (260) 427-1127 for details, or visit http://www.indianalincolnhighway.com.
Tags:bridge, Fort Wayne IN, highway marking, historic highway, historic preservation, Indiana, Lincoln Highway, Road trip
Posted in highways | 1 Comment »
April 27, 2009
Sunday’s Cedar Rapids Gazette ran a story about the Lincoln Cafe, along the Lincoln Highway in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Owner and chef Matt Steigerwald won the Cochon 555 competition held in Des Moines on April 19. Below is the story and a photo of the place by PBS producer Rick Sebak.
Cochon is French for pig, so 5 competing chefs prepared a Heritage Pig for judging and public tasting. Steigerwald was the only chef not from Des Moines. The chefs prepared the pigs in their own restaurants and transported them to the competition—for Steigerwald, a 2-hour drive. Some of the items Steigerwald made were pozole (a Mexican soup made with pork and hominy), a pork belly confit, biscuits made with lard, head cheese and Carolina pork barbecue.
Steigerwald took home a bottle of Templeton Rye and a trophy that declared him the “Prince of Porc.” The competition is traveling nationally and will be in Chicago next on May 24. For more information go to www.amusecochon.com/.
Tags:cafe, food, historic highway, Iowa, Lincoln Highway, Mt. Vernon IA, pig cooking contest
Posted in food, highways, Lincoln Highway, travel | Leave a Comment »
April 16, 2009
The Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor has announced that the first of the Roadside Giants student sculptures has been installed along the Lincoln Highway west of Ligonier, Pennsylvania. The Roadside Giants program encourages students from vocational and technical schools along the Lincoln Highway (US 30 in PA) to design and create sculptures that will line the road. They are named for the larger-than-life buildings and statues that are used to attract travelers to stop and spend some time and money, documented in such esteemed books as Roadside Giants — yes, written by me and my wife Sarah.
The first Giant, from the Eastern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center, is a replica 1940s Bennett Gas Pump at the future site of the Lincoln Highway Experience, a welcome center and attraction in Ligonier Township. It’s at the intersection of US 30W and Route 259, near the Idlewild Park entrance. Ligonier Living also wrote a story about it.
Four other schools will also soon install giants:
• Somerset County Career & Technology Center designed a vintage Bicycle Built for Two
• Bedford County Technical Center students created an oversized quarter including a profile of Washington
• Franklin County Career & Technology Center built a replica 1921 Selden Apple Truck like the ones used to haul produce at Chambersburg’s orchards.
• Central Westmoreland Career & Technology Center wanted to design a Lincoln Highway-era figure, so they chose a Packard Car with Driver.
“I love art and education,” said Olga Herbert, Executive Director of the LHHC. The Roadside Giants of the Lincoln Highway project combined the two, and involved the community. It will create another great photo op for all Lincoln Highway road trips this summer.”
Tags:giant gas pump, historic highway, Ligonier PA, Lincoln Highway, sculpture, student project
Posted in highways, history, Lincoln Highway, museum, roadside, transportation, travel | 1 Comment »
Lincoln Highway News 