Ohio Lincoln Highway League | An American Songline

There were many, many things going on at this year Lincoln Highway Association conference in Ohio, it was hard to keep up with it all! I went on the West tour on Tuesday (Canton to Mansfield on the Lincoln Highway), the East Tour yesterday (Canton to Chester, WV), and took in the two fun evening activities: the Cruise-In and a night at the Palace Theatre downtown. Thursday was a day full of learning with seminars, meetings, and tours that people could take, with our final banquet at the Canton Club. All in all, it was a fantastic conference, thanks to everyone who made it so great!

So in photos, here’s my highlights of the 2012 conference in Canton (Get comfy-I have a few photos to share):

WEST TOUR (TUESDAY):

Our first stop was the Ohio State Reformatory (Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society) in Mansfield, Ohio. The Reformatory doors were opened to its first 150 young offenders in September 1896. After housing over 155,000 men in its lifetime, the doors to the prison closed December 31, 1990. It has the tallest free-standing cell block at six tiers. I have been here before at night, so it was fascinating to see it during the day.

OSR sign — One of the first signs the inmates would see.

OSR East Cell Block — A standard cell in the East Cell Block.

Storage at OSR — This room in the East Cell Block now stores many things, including old toilets!

After lunch, our second stop was to Oak Hill Cottage near downtown Mansfield. Originally built in 1847, this home has all of the possessions and furniture that were used in the house by the Jones family for over 100 years. It was one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen.

Sphinx Lamp — The Sitting Room had an “exotic” theme with Moroccan and Egyptian elements in the room. These Sphinxes on the lamps are a great example of the details in this house.

Hats and shoes — This hutch holds the hats and shoes of the women who lived in this house.

Pipe Organ — This is a working pipe organ in the sanctuary of the house.

Front of Oak Hill — A true representation of Gothic architecture, the exterior of this house has been restored back to its original glory.

Our last stop on the West tour was in Mifflin, Ohio. This place has some neat historical markers, including a village watering trough that has been preserved near St. Michaels church:

Tuesday evening’s fun was a Cruise-in in downtown Canton. 91 cars from all over came to show off their cars. I was in the book room telling everyone about my project, selling CD’s, and talking with fellow LHA members.

Jamie and I — I was so happy to finally meet Jamie, the creator of “My Lincoln Highway” blog! Check out her site if your haven’t yet.

Bernie and Esther — We had our own “cruise-in” in the book room that night. Bernie (who turns 100 next month) gives Esther (his wife) a ride on a hotel cart-faster than I would have pushed it! These two have an amazing story to tell, which I will share at a later date.

EAST TOUR (WEDNESDAY):

This day we went all the way to Chester, West Virginia, stopping in Lisbon (the 2nd oldest city in Ohio), East Liverpool, Chester, and Robertsville. Our evening was spent at the glorious Palace theatre in downtown Canton touring and taking in a movie. I will post a few photos now for the theatre, but plan to see more video and audio of this beautiful place!

Here are some of my photo highlights of this day:

Brick Stretch in Ohio — This stretch of the original Lincoln Highway brick road is right outside of Minerva, Ohio.

Built in 1805, the Old Stone House, is one of Ohio’s oldest buildings.

Bridge View — This bridge abutment is all that is left of the original bridge that used to cross the Lincoln Highway. Today it is now a scenic overlook (looking at Ohio from West Virginia).

View of the Ohio River from Chester, West Virginia.

Teapot in Chester, WV — The world’s largest Teapot: Chester, West Virginia.

Road changes in Ohio — Some other old remnants of the original route near Cindel Road.

Mural in Robertsville Grange — This is a Mural in Robertsville, Ohio of what their downtown would have looked like in the 1920’s. Those buildings still exist, but are used for different functions now.

Palace Theatre Stage Right — View of the Palace theatre from stage right. This theatre was built in the 1920’s.

Palace Theatre Dressing Room — Had a little fun with color on this one-this is one of the dressing rooms at the Palace theatre.

Detail of Chair in Palace Theatre — Detail of one of the theatre chairs.

THURSDAY:

Thursday was our final day of the conference, which included seminars and our final dinner/awards ceremony. I spent most of my day connecting with people, meeting about the Centennial plans for the conference and how I will be involved with the upcoming celebration in Nebraska next year. This view was magnificent from the roof at the Canton Club, which was where our final banquet took place. Here’s a few photos of that view from the 14th floor.

Again, I had a fabulous time performing and being a part of the conference this year! I hope everyone makes it home safely, and I will see you all soon.

I’m here in Canton, Ohio for the 2012 Lincoln Highway Association conference, and all I can say is wow, what a night last night!

I had the honor to start the festivities off after invocation last night at dinner with a few songs from next year’s program. I am still floored by the response from over 130 people in attendance last night. Everyone had a good time, and were smiling and singing along. Thank you again to the Ohio Lincoln Highway League and the Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway for letting me be a part of your conference this year.

We shot video of my performance last night, and plan to put up excerpts after the conference is over, so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, I plan to post daily about the conference with pictures and words, so check back often for those posts. If you are in the Canton area, attending the conference, I have a table in the book room this year. Please stop by to say hello! I’ll also have an advance copy of last night’s songs for sale for $5, and you can’t beat that.

Here are a few picture highlights from yesterday:

LHA 2012 Conference highlights

Greetings from Canton!