Have a listen to the Lincoln Highway bluegrass band playing I’ll Fly Away.
For something more familiar, a Beatles tune from Rubber Soul:
Posts Tagged ‘Lincoln Highway’
Bluegrass song from Lincoln Highway band
March 19, 2009Lincoln Highway marker hit, missing from York
March 18, 2009LHA 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.
Lincoln Highway Consul porcelain sign auctioned
March 17, 2009California 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 schedules fall Lincoln Highway walk
March 16, 2009
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.
Lincoln Highway brochures (and a Rt 66)
March 11, 2009
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.
Lincoln Highway, Rt 66 make Midwest Living mag
March 10, 2009
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.
Military convoy 90th anniversary trip this summer
March 9, 2009The 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.
1880s hotel destroyed by fire in Irwin, PA
March 6, 2009A 3-story hotel, built in the 1880s along Main Street in Irwin, Pennsylvania, was destroyed by fire yesterday. Only minor injuries are reported, but 16 men living there lost everything. The hotel had 35 rooms, a bar, and dining room but all that remains is a brick shell, the roof and third floor having collapsed. The town’s main street, in an uncommon arrangement, runs perpendicular to the Lincoln Highway, which passes a couple blocks south of the hotel.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the fire was started by a grease fire from a resident cooking breakfast; throwing water on it spread the flames. (Trib photo above; the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also reported on it.) A police officer was able to go door-to-door to evacuate, and firefighters arrived minutes later, but the fire chief said it was hopeless despite more than 20 fire companies responding. The historic Lamp Theater next door appears to be safe. This follows 5 weeks after a fire destroyed a historic inn in Fort Loudon, Pennsylvania.
Artists, authors, photogs for 09 LHA conference
March 5, 2009Roadside artists, authors, and photographers are wanted for the 2009 Lincoln Highway Association Conference in South Bend, Indiana, June 15-20, 2009. A reception will offer an easily accessible place for the public and LHA members to meet those who create the works. Imagery and books are especially encouraged that relate to the Lincoln and Dixie highways.
The conference will feature an author and artist public reception on Thursday, June 18, at the South Bend Century Center, where products will be for sale. Authors can reserve a table to display and sell books but there’s limited space to display artwork and photos in the vendor room and reception area at the host hotel Holiday Inn.
Click HERE for the entry form and look for updates at at www.indianalincolnhighway.com/. The above image is by Mary Ann Michna.
Lancaster vintage inn may be demolished
March 3, 2009The recession has not slowed development east of Lancaster PA, on a strip that has not stopped reinventing itself for a half-century. Lancaster Online reports that among the projects being considered is redevelopment at 2331 Lincoln Highway East, site of a Rodeway Inn. It would mean the demolition of the former Italian Villa East Restaurant whose motto on old postcards was “A touch of Italy in Dutchland.”
According to a follow-up today, the owners plan to demolish the restaurant and build an 83-room hotel to connect to the existing 39-room Rodeway Inn. The 122 rooms would be operated Rodeway Inn and another chain owned by the same company, sharing a breakfast area between them.
The township engineer expressed concerns regarding an access drive, curbing, excess lot coverage, and that the old building might have historic value.
But the developer “said after a search on the Internet and talking with Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, he couldn’t come up with any records that the dwelling would be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The supervisors, however, still recommended the owners look into somehow reusing materials from the dwelling in the new structure to give it a local flavor.”
The site is across from and very close to the former Congress Inn, a vintage motel that’s set to be demolished and replaced by newer accommodations as I reported a half-year ago.
Lincoln Highway News 