2025 U.S. Van Trip - Travelling the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania
Background
The Lincoln Highway holds a fascination for many people. This is easy to understand as it was the first transcontinental automobile highway in the United States. It connected New York to San Francisco. A fellow named Carl Fisher provided the leadership which organized automobile enthusiasts and industry supporters to form the Lincoln Highway Association (LHA). This group selected the route for the highway and worked with local resources to create an improved coast to coast highway. Route selection was completed in 1913 and the goal was to complete a rock covered highway in time for the 1915 Pan-American Exposition in San Francisco. It was estimated that a hardy and self reliant traveler could make the automobile trip from New York to San Francisco in about 30 days.
The East Coast had a head start as wagon roads had been laid out and improved over time. In Pennsylvania the Lancaster to Philadelphia Turnpike, the Conestoga Trail and the Pittsburg road were merged into what is today US Highway 30.
The western portion of the Lincoln Highway utilized the route of the Mormon trail, the Overland Stage, the Pony Express and the Donner Party route over the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Elevation profile of U.S. 30 in Pennsylvania
Elevation Profile of the Transcontinental Lincoln Highway
Pennsylvania has a wonderful Lincoln Highway Museum in Latrobe. Coincidentally, it was also a Harvest Host, so we spent two nights in their back parking lot as we explored Latrobe.
Our van "Tortuga" parked at the Lincoln Highway Experience
The Pennsylvania Lincoln Highway Experience is located in this building in Latrobe.
The museum offers an audio tour which explains each of the exhibits. Additionally, there is a 20 minute video which details the origins and early history of the Lincoln Highway.
Pictures of sights along the way
Highway travel was slower 100 years ago!
To attract Motorists, this hotel was styled as a steamship.
Packards became the luxury car of choice for transcontinental auto travel.
What an early "gas station" looked like
The last stop in the museum was a refurbished traditional diner. Included in your admission is a slice of pie and a cup of coffee. The conversation with the waitress was lively and entertaining!
There are some seriously steep grades in Pennsylvania
Another Lincoln Highway attraction was a coffee shop in the shape of a coffee pot!
One of the original Lincoln Highway gas stations
Our final Lincoln Highway "find" was an ice-cream stand shaped like a ice-cream sundae complete with a cherry on top
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1919 Army Motor Convoy on the Lincoln Highway
The US Army quickly realized the potential of the transcontinental highway so in 1919, they organized a convoy to travel it's full length. It consisted of 81 vehicles which traveled 3,251 miles in 62 days. The convoy was accompanied by Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower of World War 2 and Presidential fame. Check the References below for more in-depth information on the 1919 Convoy.
Caught in the mud in Ohio
Convoy stretched out on the Lincoln Highway
Cute Animal Picture
A cute baby skunk "Pepe le Pew" visited us twice while we were at the Harvest Host in Latrobe.
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