MASSILLON − Walking through the new Lincoln Highway exhibition at Massillon Museum is akin to traveling back in time to the days of roadside diners, glowing neon signs and stretches of unimpeded countryside.
Artifacts and mementos fill the “Driving Forces: The Lincoln Highway Journey,” which opened May 30 and runs through Oct. 18 in the Main Gallery of the downtown museum. Matchbooks, driving goggles, dusters, early license plates, a gas pump, and tableware from forgotten restaurants.
The artifacts, documents and photos were pulled from various sources to tell the story of the country’s first coast-to-coast road, which led to the modern highway system.
Dedicated in 1913, the Lincoln Highway is a slice of Americana. Hence, the exhibition is taking place in conjunction with both the 250th birthday of the United States this summer and the 200th anniversary of the city of Massillon.
Jim Cassler, member of the Lincoln Highway Association, attended the exhibition’s opening reception on May 30.
“The exhibit is very well done,” the 69-year-old Canton resident said. “And I enjoyed it immensely. It truly captures both local and national history of this historic road.
“… The exhibit offers a peek into what motor travel was like 100-plus years ago,” said Cassler, who is national tour director for the Lincoln Highway Association and owner of the Lincoln Highway Trading Post.
Here’s what else you need to know about the Lincoln Highway exhibition:
1. What was the original Lincoln Highway?
The Lincoln Highway is widely considered to be the country’s first designated transcontinental road.
Stretching from New York City to San Francisco, the route traveled through Ohio, including Canton, Massillon, Minerva, Mansfield and Wooster.
The more famous coast-to-coast highway, Route 66, also known as “The Mother Road,” wouldn’t open until 1926.
Nearly 30 miles of the Lincoln Highway still runs through Stark County. The Lincoln Highway Historic Byway includes 241 miles in Ohio.
2. What artifacts are on display?
An intriguing and nostalgic collection of artifacts are showcased.
Contributors include the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, Canton Classic Car Museum, the Lincoln Highway Trading Post and private lenders, said Alexandra Nicholas Coon, CEO of the Massillon Museum, which is also exhibiting items from its own collection.
Prized pieces include an ancient five-gallon milk can (used for carrying water on road trips) and neon signs for the Conrad Motel and H.J. Frieg Restaurant. Another one is a 1920 automobile entry ticket from a Massillon resident who drove his car with two passengers into Yellowstone National Park during a trip along the Lincoln Highway.
The museum recreated booths and original wooden benches, etched with the initials of those who sat in them decades ago, to capture the essence of the roadside diner era. Mementos include plates and cups and vintage menus from the Sugar Bowl and Smitty’s Diner.
“It’s a special piece of history and is very highly personalized,” Valerie Metzger, curator of art and artifacts at Massillon Museum, said of the diner display. “You wouldn’t find this exact artifact anywhere else.”
3. What was the highway’s original name?
The original proposed name of the road was the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, according to the exhibition.
But it officially became the Lincoln Highway as a tribute to late President Abraham Lincoln. In 1928, Boy Scouts posted concrete markers, emblazoned with the letter L and an image of Lincoln, along the roughly 3,000-mile route.
4. Who was instrumental in creating the road?
Call them the founding fathers of the Lincoln Highway — Carl G. Fisher, Frank (F.A.) Seiberling and Henry B. Joy.
In 1912, Fisher hosted a dinner party for leaders in the automotive industry to pitch the idea for a coast-to-coast road across America, according to the Massillon Museum exhibition, which was funded in large part by a Stark Stories: America 250 grant from Visit Canton and ArtsinStark.
Fisher was an entrepreneur who made his fortune with the Pres-O-Lite Co. manufacturing car lights. Joy, president of the Packard Motor Co., was largely responsible for organizing the Lincoln Highway Association. Seiberling, founder of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in Akron, pledged $300,000 from Goodyear for the privately funded road shortly after the idea was proposed.
5. The early days of the Lincoln Highway
Traveling along the Lincoln Highway following its inception beared little resemblance to the modern interstate system.
The idea was to take travelers through the main streets and downtowns of America, not bypass them. Hotels were far fewer than today, and the “Complete Official Road Guide” of the Lincoln Highway suggested travelers take camping equipment.
Wearing a duster overcoat was recommended because early cars didn’t have a windshield. Dirt, bugs and wind left the clothes of motorists rumpled.
George Lawrence, 68, owner of Museum Acrylics Co. in New Philadelphia, said the exhibition is a portal to the past.
“This is bringing to life things that people either forgot about or don’t know about,” said Lawrence, whose company assisted with installing the Lincoln Highway exhibition. “Especially a lot of the older people over 80 years old — they’re going to say, ‘I remember that,’ and they’ll hopefully show their children and grandchildren that this is the way it was.”
Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com. Follow on Instagram at ed_balint and TikTok @edwardbalint.
If you go
What: “Driving Forces: The Lincoln Highway Journey” exhibition
Where: Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E in downtown Massillon
When: On display through Oct. 18.
Admission and hours: Museum admission is free. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays.
For more information: www.massillonmuseum.org or 330-833-4061.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: What to know about the new Lincoln Highway exhibit at Massillon Museum
Reporting by Ed Balint, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ed Balint, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
