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Lincoln Highway in Allen County, Indiana
100 Years on the Lincoln Highway by Wyoming PBS posted June 1, 2017 on YouTube.
Shared November 30, 2022 by the Indiana Lincoln Highway Association on Facebook. Before the Interstate Highway System, before famed Route 66, before highways were even numbered, there was one road that started it all, one road that changed America forever: The Lincoln Highway. “100 Years on the Lincoln Highway” is the story of the first coast to coast automobile road in the United States and its impact on Wyoming. Premiered on March 9, 2014. WyomingPBS videos are used in classrooms across the country. Comments inappropriate for a classroom are blocked.
The country's first transcontinental road connecting the Atlantic Coast with the Pacific Coast, from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco opened in 1913. The Allen County section was dedicated June 21, 1915. The highway was not built with government contracts or even with taxpayer money. The need for better marking of highways, led the federal government to rename it U.S. Route 30.
Cabins for Rent Lincoln Highway restaurant just west of Townley intersection of 101 and old 30, had cabins available for rent. The cabin at far left is still standing in 2008 and owned by Tom Lortie. Not shown on current Layers aerial view of Townley on Google maps
Lincoln Highway Marker This looked like the ones the Monroeville, Indiana Boy Scouts erected on old highway 30
OBERLEY STATION Oberley Restaurant & Station on Lincoln Highway, Zulu, Indiana on Lincoln Hwy, Zulu 1941
Service Station Bill Fry's service station on Lincoln Highway east of 101, Monroeville, Indiana.
Ternet Family - pictured L-R: Jim Ternet, Ralph Ternet, Sol Ternet, Norman Gordon, Mayme Ternet, Lloyd Littlefield holding Beverly Ann Ternet. Photo taken at Sol Ternet's place on 101 just north of Lincoln Highway, Monroeville.
TERNET HOUSE & TAVERN The Charles Ternet House & Tavern located on south east corner of Lincoln Highway and Webster Road. Pictured from left to right: Leslie Ternet (with bicycle), Louise (Townsend) Ternet, Cletus Ternet, Velma (Ternet) Marquart and Charles Ternet.
Townley Station at the corner of 101 and Lincoln Highway. In addition to selling gas, they also rented small cabins at the rear of the property.
20th Century Luncheon - owned and operated by Mattie Clauss and her two sons, Dougland & Kenneth and her daughter, Connie. The Clauss family started the business at the corner of 101 and Lincoln Highway in Townley in 1959. Sold food and gas. Photo taken in July 1963.
Zulu, Indiana, a small town on the Lincoln Highway, just north-west of Monroeville. Population 34 in 1972. Street View photo on Google maps.
Fun Fact: In 1914, the Lincoln Highway came to New Haven while being laid between New York City and San Francisco as the first coast-to-coast highway. The road was conceived by Indiana automobile entrepreneur, Carl Fisher. As part of his idea, communities along the route would provide equipment in return for free materials and a place along America’s first transcontinental highway.
Colored postcard of the arch dedicated in 1915 dated June 1917 same as the top image was posted October 26, 2018 in You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook which has lots of Lincoln Highway posts. One comment posted: THE 1924 LINCOLN HIGHWAY IN INDIANA by Michael Gene Buettner who shows a black and white version of the bottom photo with the same Pop. 80,000 stating: After turns onto Putnam Street, Wells Street, State Boulevard, and finally Goshen Road, we then bore northwesterly while leaving the older part of town. In the early years, a steel arch spanned what is now State Boulevard (originally Pfeiffer Street west of the river?) just west of the Wells Street corner. Back then, Fort Wayne's population was 80,000; now it is more than 173,000. The postcard icon from the article shows the arch that stood on Maumee Avenue at Fort Wayne's eastern city limit.
The same images were posted November 21, 2021 with a 2021 comment by Creager Smith, Historic Preservation Planner at City of Fort Wayne Government, saying the top photo was taken looking west on Maumee Avenue at or near Memorial Park on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook.
A comment to the black and white version of the second image posted October 31, 2018 with several other photos by The History Center on Facebook says: According to newspaper accounts, one [arch] was at Maumee and Edsall Ave.
The June 12, 1915 Fort Wayne Daily News article shown below shows the top photograph stating it is the east entrance to the city. It was electrically lighted with rambler roses planted on both sides to twine up the site. A similar arch was at the western entrance to the city.
Foster Park's Splendid Secret a campground stop on the 1913 Lincoln Highway was by Eric Olson, 21Country Featured Reporter January 26, 2017 on ABC WPTA21.com TV station no longer online.
The article says a parade of 600 automobiles with the horse troups from Culver and two bands was to go through Fort Wayne from the west and was to be filmed with a photographer on Court Street near the grandstand near the south entrance to the courthouse and will be distributed throughout the country. [a comment to the Liberty Bell arrival in Fort Wayne on July 6, 1915 stated: This event coincided with the Lincoln Highway Association's 1915 film of their journey from New York to San Francisco for the PPIE. Fort Wayne was highlighted prominently in the film. Unfortunately, the film did not survive over the years.]
6 photos titled:
1. Lincoln highway sign east of the city. A number of these have been erected along the highway in Allen county by the Wayne Oil Tank company. M. H. Luecke, highway booster, is in the machine.
2. The arch at the east entrance to the city. The arch is to be electrically lighted and rambler roses have been planted at both sides to twine up the sides. In the center of the arch is the inscription, "Fort Wayne, Population 80,000." There is a similar arch at the western entrance to the city.
3. The committe in charge of the celebration--Rear row, left to right, Ward L. Wilt, William M. Griffin, J. Herman Buert, Edgar H. Kilbourne, Joseph W. Bell, Charles L. Biederwolf, Edward C. Miller, Front row, Van B. Perrine, Martin H. Luecke, Alfred L. Randall, Dr. Edward W. Dodez, Frank E. Bond.
4. Curve at the Four-Mile house. By refusing the proprietor a license to sell liquor here the commissioners have made the road safer to travel, tourists no longer having to dodge drunk revelers and machines driven by the drink crazed chauffeurs.
5. A straightaway east of the city. This is an excellent stretch for speed, but is within the jurisdiction of the motorcycle cops and the twenty-mile-an-hour limit is strictly enforced.
6. Three modes of travel. The Lincoln highway on the left, a section of the old Wabash & Erie canal in the center, and the Nickel Plate tracks on the right.
Wayne Oil Pump image from the article: The Lincoln Highway along the Juniata, 1915 March 15, 2019 at LincolnHighwayNews.com stated: From May through August, 1915, LHA vice-president and field secretary Henry Ostermann led a film crew across the Lincoln Highway. The resulting promotion film, the “Three-Mile Picture Show,” was shown for years but no copies are known to have survived.
Image from page 22 of the 44 page document Lincoln Highway Nation’s First Transcontinental Highway By Dennis E. Horvath, Lead-Author: Indiana Cars: A History of the Automobile in Indiana, Web Publisher: www.Cruise-IN.com, Web Proprietor: www.AutoGiftGarage.com
In 1915 The Lincoln Highway Association sponsored a motion picture caravan to film the highway from New York to San Francisco. The 3-hour (16,000 foot) feature became known as the Three-Mile Picture Show. This was also the first motion picture film ever taken of an automobile trip. Upon reaching the Panama- Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, the film was shown almost continually as an enhancement to the panoramic route map and accompanying photos on display. It also provided advertising for the cities it passed through. During the return trip east, the film was shown in citeies and towns that had sponsored its financing. Copied from page two of the LINCOLN HIGHWAY ASSOCIATION CALIFORNIA CHAPTER NEWS LETTER THE TRAVELER VOL. 9 NO. 2 SPRING APRIL 2008.
The film is also mentioned on page 240 in the Appendix A Lincoln Highway Chronology at LincolnHighwayNebraskaByway.com under 1915: The LHA sponsored the Motion Picture Caravan to film the Lincoln Highway, creating the Three-Mile Picture Show.
The Lincoln Highway (Harrison Street) Bridge was constructed across the St. Mary's River in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The End of the Three Mile Picture Show November 11, 2011 in "Louis V. Galdieri's Blog" states: Natanson and staff packed the film reels in a large case, declared the value of The Three Mile Picture Show at one-thousand dollars, and shipped it Express Collect to Disney. On October 30th, Sheldon wired with this news: four reels of film… have deteriorated to powder and bubbled condition. Extreme explosion or fire hazard. Strongly suggest you grant permission to destroy this material here or will return immediately at your responsibility. Four small rolls of negative in can appear to be alright. On that same day, Natanson wired back: “You may destroy runined [sic] film.” And so they did.
1915 transcontinental film convoy
The 1915 transcontinental film convoy was a four-month motor convoy beginning August 25 and ending at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. The film crew completed the "Three-Mile Picture Show" (named for the length of film). The film was directed by Henry Ostermann, Consul at Large for the Lincoln Highway Association, who travelled in a Stutz touring car.
The last known existing copy of "The Three Mile-Picture Show" was in the film storage vaults of The University of Michigan, having been donated to the university by Henry Ostermann, and his associate, Gael Hoag. In 1957 the university was contacted by Walt Disney Productions, who wanted to use a part of the film in their movie "The American Highway". When the University Of Michigan inspected the film for the first time since the 1920s, they found it very deteriorated, and very flammable. They shipped the dangerous film to Disney, who, sadly, only wanted a few "humorous" moments to use in their movie, "The American Highway" (1958). After discussion between The University Of Michigan and film restorers, this copy of "The Three-Mile Picture Show" was then said to have been destroyed.Copied from Transcontinental Motor Convoy at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Lincoln Highway Association member Leon Schegg presents “The Three Mile Picture Show: The 1915 Transcontinental Film Convoy” at 2 p.m. on July 1. This presentation is part of the First Saturday lecture series, where the Sparks Museum presents free programming 2 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month.
In 1915, a motor film crew directed by Lincoln Highway Consul-At-Large member Henry Ostermann, traveled coast-to-coast for four months recording scenes along the historic route. By contributing to the film’s production, towns along the highway were allowed to proudly promote their communities. The three hour film was shown almost continuously at the Palace of Transportation at the 1915 San Francisco Panama–Pacific International Exposition. After the Expo, the popular film was shown to the public and school children in towns along the Lincoln Highway.
Lifetime member of the Lincoln Highway Association and former President of the Nevada Chapter of the Lincoln Highway, Leon Schegg, will share the fascinating story about the film crew as they travel along America’s first transcontinental highway. The only brief film footage of the movie will also be shown.
View of several women, members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, dedicating one mile of pavement of the Lincoln Highway in Fort Wayne, Indiana. American flag displayed on flagpole; onlookers in background. Typed on back: Official Lincoln Highway trip, New York to San Francisco, Summer, 1915." Handwritten on back: "D.A.R., Fort Wayne, Ind., dedicate one mile of L.H. pavement, June 1915. D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution) Ft. Wayne, Ind., dedicate one mile of Lincoln Highway pavement, June, 1915." - From the National Automotive History Collection of the Detroit Public Library:
Edwin Denby, president of the Hupmobile factory, who was chief speaker at the Lincoln Life banquet: A. E. A Sleeper, of Bad Axe, Mich., one of the guests at the banquet; Dan H. Ninde, chief counsel for the company, and A. L. Randall viewed Fort Wayne from the soft cushions of a Hup during the brief visit of the Michigan men, and the accompanying picture shows them under the arch, marking the entrance to the city of the Lincoln highway Mr Randall is at the wheel with Mr Denby seated with him. In the rear seat are Mr. Sleeper and Mr. Ninde.
The Lincoln Highway was dedicated one hundred and five years ago today. [October 31, 1915 opened through New Haven and Fort Wayne - coast to coast opened September 10, 1913] Over the next few years, the nation’s first transcontinental highway would stretch from New York to San Francisco, crossing through Indiana and Allen County. Allen County’s section of the highway had its own dedication on June 22, 1915. The Hotel Anthony became a local control station for travelers starting in 1915, charging two dollars a night for a room including a bath. The reinforced concrete Lincoln Highway Bridge (today known as the Harrison Street Bridge), which cost $200,000 to construct, provided safe passage over the St. Mary’s River on the way out of town. In 1928, the Lincoln Highway Association erected concrete posts across the country with the aid of Boy Scouts of America to mark the route. The sections of highway in Allen County were later assigned numbers and became U.S. 30 and U.S. 33. #sociallyhistory
One comment by Bruce Butgereit on the archway shown here stated: There were two of these illuminated arches in Fort Wayne. They were erected in 1915. According to newspaper accounts, one was at Maumee and Edsall Ave. (when the Lincoln Highway followed Maumee into town (pre-one way streets) and the other was on Wells just south of State. No record has been found as to how long they existed or what happened to them.
Odowin Doenges, the Lincoln Highway Kid, walked from Fort Wayne, Indiana to San Francisco and back in 1915 and 1916 with his dog, Bob. Photo courtesy Rick Saaf of the True Fort Wayne Indiana History Group:
Opposite page 210 TYPE OF SIGN ERECTED IN 192O, REACHING FROM NEW YORK TO OMAHA, MARKED THE HIGHWAY UNTIL THE ENTIRE STRETCH FROM NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO WAS REMARKED BY THE CONCRETE MARKERS, ERECTED IN 1927
The first markings were very simple, merely red, white and blue bands painted on a pole, rock or other convenient object. Later the Association designed its official insignia, consisting of red, white and blue rectangles with the letter L and the words Lincoln Highway in blue above and below the letter. The Association provided stencils of the official design and directions as to colors so that the work might be uniform; but the actual painting of the markers was done by good roads enthusiasts, automobile clubs, civic bodies and public- spirited individuals. Page 217 Driving through Noble County, Indiana, one day he had noticed that the mortality of signs was especially high and had evolved the idea that as this destruction was apparently the work of boys* maintenance of highway markers might well be made one of the objectives of the Boy Scouts. The article he wrote about the vandalism concluded with the words: What Noble County needs is more Boy Scouts.
Route Honoring Lincoln Celebrates Heritage and Invites Tourism
Mayor Tom Henry today helped unveil one of the new signs marking the 1915 route of the Lincoln Highway through Fort Wayne. Nearly one hundred years ago, the privately funded highway was the first coast-to-coast route, connecting New York to California, winding through smaller cities and towns in fourteen states. Once called “Main Street Across America,” the route came through Indiana and through Fort Wayne.
“Heritage tourism is one of our greatest assets,” said Mayor Henry. “With renewed interest in off-interstate travel, people are eager to explore the cultural and historic treasures to be found in communities like Fort Wayne. The treasures to be found along the Lincoln Highway are well worth a family vacation and Fort Wayne is ready to welcome those with an interest in rediscovering the entertainment, culture and history to be found slightly off the beaten path. We welcome travelers' interest and their economic support. It is fitting to kick-off the Memorial Day weekend by once again marking the route of the Lincoln Highway through Fort Wayne; the coast to coast highway was designed as a memorial to Abraham Lincoln.”
May is National Historic Preservation month, and this year's local celebration highlights the yearlong nation-wide recognition of Abraham Lincoln's 200th Birthday (February 12, 2009). The Hoosier state has many reasons to celebrate President Lincoln; he spent 14 of his most formative years (from age 7 to 21) in southern Indiana. Fort Wayne has embraced Lincoln's legacy with numerous memorials within the City to visit. Among them is the sculpture “The Hoosier Youth” by renowned sculptor Paul Manship (featured on this year's local Historic Preservation Month brochure and poster), the Lincoln Tower, and the historic Lincoln Highway. Soon the former Lincoln archival collection of the Lincoln Financial Foundation will open at the Allen County Public Library.
“At one time, the Lincoln Highway came in past Memorial Park on the east side of town,” said Mayor Henry. “Visitors were greeted by the imposing statue of General Anthony Wayne at the entrance to Hayden Park. The statue was dedicated there on July 4, 1918. The bronze sculpture was moved to Freimann Square in 1973. The highway passed through downtown, crossed the St. Mary's River on the Lincoln Highway Bridge, and went past the St. Vincent Villa. It passed through Five Points as it left town to the northwest.”
Mayor Henry and others unveiled the distinctive sign on the historic Lincoln Highway Bridge on Harrison Street, just north of downtown. About 30 signs will mark the 1915 route through Fort Wayne. The Lincoln Highway route was altered in 1928, and additional signs will also mark the later route. The City plans to have the signs in place by mid-June. The Lincoln Highway Association national conference will be held June 16-20 in South Bend; the new signs will help attendees follow the route through Fort Wayne.
September 1, 1928 around 3,000 markers were placed along the highway. The City View video shown below of a 1928 marker dedication in downtown Fort Wayne October 1, 2020 says only about a dozen of the markers are still known, while a September 4, 2022 posts specifies there are 15 markers.
Fort Wayne Government Access - City TV City View Date Created:December 14, 2020 Creator:Patrick Stelte December 2020. Topic this month: Lincoln Highway historical marker and dedication includes news conference and interview with Creager Smith, Historic Preservation Planner.
Fun Fact: On display in front of City Hall is a restored 1928 Lincoln Highway concrete marker and descriptive plaque, only a few feet from the road’s original route. The New Haven marker is believed to have been one of two that stood near what is now the Harrison Street bridge just north of downtown Fort Wayne. It’s one of only 15 markers in the state.
March 4, 2022 the Lincoln Highway group on Facebook posted a photo by Mike Weigler stating: Wow. Boy Scouts placing a 1928 concrete marker in Allen County, Indiana. Likely somewhere between Besancon and the Ohio state line. He commented to the photo post about my question whether it could be the same marker in front of Visit Fort Wayne as this photo was that it came from Indianapolis. Their Facebook page has many posts with photos referencing Fort Wayne and Lincoln Highway such as December 16, 2020 and November 1, 2020.
Wow. Boy Scouts placing a 1928 concrete marker in Allen County, Indiana. Likely somewhere between Besancon and the Ohio state line. pic.twitter.com/BhfOsJZOL6
— Lincoln Highway Association (LHA) (@LincolnHwyAssoc) August 27, 2022
The Indiana Lincoln Highway Association has an Indiana Lincoln Highway Byway map stating: In gearing up for the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Highway in 2013, the Lincoln Highway Association released a complete, definitive online map of the entire highway, from New York City to San Francisco, freely available on the Association’s Website. The online map represents more than twenty years of historical research and ten years of mapping by over a hundred expert volunteers.
Former ARCH staffer, president of the Indiana Lincoln Highway Association, Jan Shupert-Arick wrote the book The Lincoln Highway across Indiana and the Community Voice: What happened to the Lincoln Highway arch? published October 20, 2011 in The News-Sentinel newspaper no longer online. Fort Wayne, Indiana erected two arches over the Lincoln Highway around 1914. Indiana LHA president Jan Shupert-Arick asks whatever happened to them. posted as What happened to Fort Wayne, IN’s Lincoln Highway arches? October 28, 2011 on Lincoln Highway blog linking to the article no longer online.
City's future gets a boost from its past Lincoln 'byway' designation could increase tourism, officials say by Kevin Leininger published October 20, 2011 in The News-Sentinel newspaper no longer online.
In 2010, the Indiana Lincoln Highway Association dedicated this interpretive site in New Haven, IN, at the New Haven City Hall, 815 Lincoln Highway E. It includes an original Lincoln Highway concrete post.
The mission of the INLHA is to preserve, promote, and mark the Lincoln Highway route across Indiana, and educate the general public of the various routes and related resources.
You can help us achieve our mission by becoming a member or attending our fundraising event in Goshen on Saturday, October 29, 2016. Can't attend? You can still support our efforts by making a donation.
Please visit our website for more information on the Goshen event or scroll down to make a donation via PayPal. Thank you!
ACPL Presents: Lincoln Highway Across Indiana - Show 13700, 54 minute video - November 27, 2018 lecture recorded at by Access Fort Wayne public television at the Allen County Public Library.
Honest Eats: Celebrating the Rich Food History of Indiana’s Historic Lincoln Highway America’s first coast-to-coast road that passed through Fort Wayne. Authors Laura Weston and Keith Elchert, 2016, M.T. Publishing Company. Holter's Roost is shown in this book. Honest Eats by mtpub published May 6, 2016 on YouTube.
Keith Elchert and Laura Weston-Elchert and M.T. Publishing Company, Inc. have joined forces to bring you Honest Eats – Celebrating the Rich Food History of Indiana’s Historic Lincoln Highway. The book spotlights businesses and their owners; their love of history and the highway helps fuel their passion for both food and nostalgia. Packed with more than 200 contemporary and vintage photographs, Honest Eats also highlights featured locations and places from out of the past. This hardbound 9" x 12" publication contains 144 full-color pages with a color dust jacket.
Our fans of the historic Lincoln Highway will enjoy this FREE online recording provided by Society for Commercial Archeology. Join Brian Butko as he takes us on tour of the fabled highway from New York to San Francisco, past mountaintop lookouts, through the gumbo of Iowa, and stopping at vintage cafes and cabin courts
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See HABS/HAER/HALS documentation in The Library of Congress of historic sites along the Lincoln Highway at https://bit.ly/41HEBzK
Brian Butko – Greetings from the Lincoln Highway08 by SCA Roadside March 2, 2023 on YouTube.
Three-mile Picture Show is mentioned around the 22:00 minute mark
Join SCA member and journal designer Brian Butko, author of 4 books on the Lincoln Highway, as takes us on tour of the fabled highway from New York to San Francisco, past mountaintop lookouts, through the gumbo of Iowa, and stopping at vintage cafes and cabin courts. We’ll learn where the road went in 1913, and why, and how that all changed with the coming of federal highways in 1926. BRIAN BUTKO: GREETINGS FROM THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY RECORDED WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2022 at SCA-Roadside.org.
Colored postcard of the arch dedicated in 1915 dated June 1917 same as the top image was posted October 26, 2018 in You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook which has lots of Lincoln Highway posts. One comment posted: THE 1924 LINCOLN HIGHWAY IN INDIANA by Michael Gene Buettner who shows a black and white version of the bottom photo with the same Pop. 80,000 stating:
