Odds and Ends

Western Ohio Highlights (including the J&M Trading Post)

June 1, 2013 by Cece

When I was visiting with New York Director Jerry Peppers at the beginning of this tour, he handed me a postcard with a red building on it. He said, “If you can swing it, stop by this place. Nancy and Joe are lovely people and they are true fans of the highway.”

The J&M Trading Post Antique Shop lies about 20 miles West of Mansfield, Ohio. Built in 1830, it has been store of some type in continuous operation ever since its opening and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Today it is an antique store full of wonderful things as well as Lincoln Highway souvenirs (Note that if you are thinking of making a visit here, you should call them beforehand; they open the place by appointment only). But what makes this stop special is the people who have taken care of the place all of these years – Nancy and Joe Everly.

From the time I was greeted to the time that I drove away, Nancy and Joe became my family to me for that hour I spent at the store. When I told them who I was and what I was doing along the route, Nancy said, “I know who you are! I saw you in the paper yesterday!” She brought down a big box of vintage sheet music for me, and I looked through it. Whatever music I wanted, she said I could keep it and take it with me. We laughed over all of the crazy song titles from the time like “You Can’t Get Along With’em or Without’em, You’ve Got to Have Them, That’s All!” and “Take Your Wife to the Movies (If She Won’t Make Love at Home)”. In that short visit, I found my new “old friend” along the road. Definitely take the time to stop here, it will be worth the trip.

The rest of my time in Western Ohio was pretty much spent in Lima relaxing with an old friend, as well as exploring the Allen County museum in the city. I did take pictures of murals and markers in Crestline, Bucryus, and Delphos, which are all below in my latest photo gallery. Enjoy!

Outside of the J&M Trading Post with the American Songline-Mobile.

Here’s me in front of the famous blackboard at the trading post. It tells the history of the building.

While perusing all of the beautiful antiques in the store, I came upon the sheet music of “Beautiful Ohio” one of the songs that is on the touring program!

Love this directional sign outside of the store. All four sides are covered, and here’s one side.

This Lincoln Highway Marker is across the street from the trading post. It is not an original marker.

This is one of two 1922 Lincoln Highway Markers in Crestline, Ohio.

The “Great American Crossroad” Mural in Bucyrus Ohio is so big, I had to photograph sections of it! Here’s the main middle section of the mural.

Here’s a Lincoln Highway detail in this very same mural, middle left hand side

If you’re standing in front of the Bucyrus mural, these two windows will be on the far left hand side.

LH Marker that is in downtown Bucyrus and “faces” the mural.

The Allen County Museum in Lima, Ohio has a Mini-Lincoln Highway exhibit in their outdoor park.

This is a typed transcription of a letter written by John Dillinger’s girlfriend while he was in prison in Lima.

There were a lot of neat exhibits at the Allen County Museum, and this was one of them. It had beautiful instruments, old opera programs and other performance mementos.

Original gravel stretch of the highway heading westward towards Indiana.

The road beckons! My next post will be about my performance in Indiana as well as photos from the road both in Indiana and in Eastern Illinois (which is part of “Chicagoland” as it’s called). Until then, have a good weekend!

Driving the Lincoln in Central Pennsylvania: A review of sights from Malvern to Stoystown

May 9, 2013 by Cece

As I’ve noted before, I’ve not ever been to this part of the country before. With no relatives in Pennsylvania, there’s never been a reason to come out here. My week I spent in this area was wonderful. I felt like I was living in a mix of both Colorado and Ireland again. The mountain lifestyle combined with the stone buildings made it easy for me to feel “at home”.

I stayed at two different places along this part of the highway, including the famous Lincoln Motor Court (more on my stay there in a future post), and The Gettysburg Hotel. But what made the drive so memorable besides the scenery are the unique murals, artwork installations, and memorable shops that make the Lincoln Highway worth the drive [thanks in part to the great effort of the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor (LHHC)]. You feel like you’re discovering a local secret, which has still been untapped after all of these years.

I have hundreds of photos that can’t even come close to encapsulating how awesome and beautiful this part of the road is, but I’ll try. Here’s some of the highlights from this leg of the tour:

The Dutch Haven gift store has been a fixture in Lancaster County has been a fixture on the highway since the 1920’s.

This is part of the original store at the Dutch Haven, which has since expanded into a store that carries around 10,000 items.

This is a close up of a statue of Lincoln in Gettysburg. This statue is accurate in every way, including the detail of Lincoln’s hands.

Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Shop is a MUST visit. This place is a lot of fun, and there really is something for everyone here. Free admission.

This is just one excerpt of Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum, which contains over 10,000 elephants of all shapes and sizes.

One panel of a Lincoln Highway Mural. You can find this mural in Chambersburg on the Lincoln Lanes building.

There are several huge Roadside sculptures along the highway, but I think this one is my favorite. You can find this one near Shatzer’s Fruit Market heading West out of Chambersburg.

There’s lots of boom and bust along the Lincoln, and here’s an old probable house/business ruin just outside of St. Thomas, PA.

Another great Lincoln Highway Mural, this one can be found near Bingham’s Orchard.

There are dozens of these decorated gas pumps along the route, and this one of “Vincent Van Gas” can be found at the Lincoln Garage in downtown Schellsburg.

One of the most famous fixtures of the Lincoln Highway was the Ship Hotel, which sat at this mountain overlook on Allegheny Mountain for 69 years before it was destroyed in a fire.

You can see a picture of what the Ship Hotel looked like at this mural not too far away from the site at Route 30 Antiques in Central City.

Also at Route 30 Antiques, this gas pump was dedicated to the Ship Hotel as well.

About 5 miles south of the Lincoln Highway sits the memorial for Flight 93. It’s a solemn but beautiful place, and definitely a must visit. While you are not allowed to walk on the crash site (nor should anyone!), you are welcome to photograph it.

Duppstadt’s Country Store Sign, found in Buckstown/Stoystown

This gas pump can be found at Duppstadt’s Country Store, a fixture on the highway since 1904.

I think this barn mural about the Lincoln speaks for itself.

Up next, I’ll be writing about my stay at the Lincoln Motor Court, which is truly a wonderful step back in time. Until then, happy travels wherever you may go!

Summary of Eastern Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Surroundings)

May 7, 2013 by Cece

Hi all!

I apologize for the delay in posting. I was in an area of Pennsylvania where internet access was hard to come by for most of the week. Combine that with hearing about the loss of a dear old friend/American Songline supporter and two performances this past weekend, I now have the time to update you on my travels. Expect a lot of posts over the next few days, and then I’ll go back to a more weekly schedule on here.

I was in the Philadelphia area for about a week, and I loved my time there. It was my first time in the area, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The neighborhoods in Philly and the surrounding areas are quirky, fun, and there’s plenty to see and do. I look forward to performing there in the future, and I have to give a big thanks to my hosts Dot and Zosia for making my stay an unforgettable one. I can’t wait to come back!

I’ll write a separate post about The General Warren Inne (where I performed) in my next post, but in the interim here’s some photo highlights from my time in Philadelphia:

Inaccessible part of the Lincoln Highway near Langhorne PA — Inaccessible part of the Lincoln Highway near Langhorne, PA

The Poquessing Creek Bridge was built in the 1805 and was used in the original 1913 LH route until the bypass was created in the early 1920s. Note the mix of brick and old concrete with the stone bridge.

Side of Poquessing Creek Bridge — Side of the Poquessing Creek Bridge.

The Divine Loraine Hotel has a fascinating past. Built between 1892-1894, this building on the Lincoln Highway housed some of Philadelphia’s Wealthy in the early years, and then became the first hotel in the city to be racially integrated. Today it is not in use.

Valley Forge Cemetary — One of my many headstones found in Valley Forge Cemetery. While not directly on the Lincoln Highway, Valley Forge National Park should not be missed. It is truly a beautiful place to see our country’s history.

Valley Forge Chapel — These stained glass windows tell the story of George Washington’s life at Washington Memorial Chapel (Valley Forge). It is biggest non-religious dedication in this medium.

Detail Chapel Gate — The tour guide told me his favorite artwork in the Washington Memorial Chapel was the hand made iron gate in front of the chapel. Here’s a close up of that gate.

My view of the Liberty Bell (only a couple blocks off the LH route in downtown Philly). While it is free to get in, you have to wait a long time to see it.

LH Marker Gone — This is the site where an old Lincoln Highway concrete marker was in Malvern, PA. As you can see by the fresh dirt, this change happened recently. The yellow marker notes a gas pipeline is now going through here.

Mural Fairmont Art Crawl — Mural on Fairmont Street in the Arts District in Philadelphia.

Thanks again for all of your support over the last few weeks and I hope things are going well on your path, wherever it may be.

New Year, New website!

January 22, 2013 by Cece

Hello everyone,

Hope everyone’s 2013 has got off to a great start! I’ve been running full speed the last few weeks trying to finalize the tour and get out the word to everyone about what I’m doing this year.

There’s been a lot of great changes to the website in preparation for this tour, including a Press page with photos and a press release, Audio and Video samples of me performing, a Frequently Asked Questions page, and an online store where you can buy the preview CD (you can also make donations to help with the project as well). Stay tuned for the tour page, where I will be listing all of the concerts shortly.

Again, this project is a grassroots effort. The more you and your communities participate with this endeavor, the better the project will be. If you would still like to help me, it’s not too late! I still need to find venues to perform along the route, musicians to accompany me and lodging, please contact me via email or through the contact page on the website.

Thank you all for your support this year, and I look forward to meeting you all very soon!