The "History of the Lancaster Railroad: Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My childhood friend and longtime traveling buddy Jerry just arrived with his wife Just Sue for the weekend.  With him was a rolled poster of the Pennsylvania Railroad Station at North Queen and East Chestnut Street in downtown Lancaster, PA. that his brother-in-law had just given to him.  

Poster of the original train station in Lancaster, PA

 For years, while growing up in Lancaster, Jerry and I lived near the train station that replaced the one in the poster in 1929.  I spent many hours sliding down the brass railings, watching the trains arrive and depart and even managed to sneak under the platforms to watch the rotation of the wheels as they rolled by.  But, I never got to see the Pennsylvania Railroad Station when it ran through the center of the city.  Story of that station begins like this ......... At one time the canals on the east side and the middle of the state of Pennsylvania were the basic means of moving goods.  A proposed canal across the state from the Susquehanna River to Philadelphia was deemed impossible.  In January of 1821 Colonel John Stevens wrote a letter to Mayor Robert Wharton of Philadelphia telling of the need for a railroad from Philadelphia to Columbia, PA.  At the time the Pennsylvania Canal ran from Columbia, which is on the Susquehanna River, to Holidaysburg by way of the Juanita River.  Finally, two years later, on March 31st, the Pennsylvania legislature granted a charter to the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad (P & C).  In preparation for the upcoming railroad, Stevens worked two years building a steam locomotive which would eventually be used on the P & C Railroad.  In 1827 Major John Wilson made a preliminary survey of a route for the P & C Railroad.  He was employed by the PA Canal commissioners to locate the route with the help of Lancastrian Joshua Scott.  Finally in 1829 railroad construction began which would run parallel to the Philadelphia to Lancaster Turnpike.  The railroad started at Broad and Vine in Philadelphia, ran to the Schuylkill River, crossed the river on the Columbia Bridge to the Belmont Incline Plane where canal cars were transported up the incline and loaded onto railroad cars for the eventual trip to Columbia, PA.  Towns that the train passed through were Narbeth, Wynnewood, Ardmore, White Hall (Bryn Mawr), Paoli, Downingtown, Coatesville, Gap, Paradise, to the east of Lancaster before curving south and crossing the bridge over the Conestoga River at the Lancaster Water Works and running through the city of Lancaster.  From Lancaster the railroad passed through several small towns on the west side of Lancaster before it reached the inclined plane in Columbia.  The route took the railroad down the plane to the river where the canal cars were taken off the train cars, transported across the river and loaded onto canal boat for the trip along the Juanita River. All of the construction did not take place overnight, but over the time span of a few years. In 1832 the first 20 miles were opened

Passenger coach drawn by horses between
Belmont Plane and Paoli in 1832

 from Philadelphia. It was the same year that the City Council in Lancaster passed a resolution that the railroad was to pass through the center of the city.  That was the reason for the sharp southern curve after leaving Paradise.  The tracks of the railroad were originally made of wood with a path in the center for horses which were used to pull the railroad cars.  Horses were used from time to time until they eventually were banned in 1844.  An interesting feature of the new railroad was that it was a public railroad when it was first finished.  Anyone could place a car on the tracks, hook their horse to the car, and transport their goods along the railroad.  I guess you can see what could happen today it that practice had continued.  Well, I am going to end this part of my story and continue tomorrow with the story of the train station in the city of Lancaster.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Old photo that shows the Belmont Plane near Philadelphia.

The "No Tan Lines" Story

Club Orient Beach in St. Martin

It was an ordinary day.  Packing a lunch of sandwiches, chips, cookies, drinks and 2 Snicker's Bars to take with us to the beach for the day.  Some days we buy lunch at one of the many beach bars and restaurants that line the rim of Orient Beach in St. Martin, but other days we opt for not having to put our suits on and take our lunch.  Oops!  Did you really read that correctly.  Maybe!  In 2001 Carol and I traveled with our traveling friends, Jerry and Just Sue, to St. Martin for the first time.  Our mutual friend, Jeff, had suggested we may enjoy trips to St. Thomas and St. Martin to see the great scenery, especially the gorgeous beaches.  He had been to both while on a cruise and said we shouldn't miss either one.  So, we scheduled a ten day trip; five days in each location.  St. Thomas is one of the three United States Virgin Islands and we made our first stop at this beauty.  My favorite was Magen's Bay, since it was the first tropical beach I had ever experienced.  After years of traveling to the Jersey Shore, Magen's Bay was unbelievable.  After five days we hopped a commuter plane and landed at Princess Juliana Airport on Sint Maarten.  This island has dual counties that share the island; French on one side and Dutch on the other.  We were booked at the Mercure Simpson Resort on the French side.  We quickly realized the bathing habits and traditions of the French side were quite different than those which we were accustomed to in the US.  Topless bathing and even nude bathing was the norm for the French.  One side trip Carol and I took that first visit was by ourselves to a tiny French island off the shore of St. Martin called Pinel.  Just about all the women there were topless and after a short time, my wife decided she felt out of place with her top on, so off it came.  Subsequent visits to the island by Carol and me found that most beaches on the French side as well as a few of the beaches on the Dutch side of the island accepted topless bathing.  A few of the beaches on the French side also accepted nude bathing.  So, when in St. Martin, you have to do as the St. Martiners do; swim sans suit.  Amazing the feeling you get from swimming without a bathing suit and naturally you get no tan lines when relaxing on the beach.  Uncomfortable feeling?  Nah, actually you tend to feel more out of place with a suit on. Everyone looks at you!  And, you need to pack less in your suitcase for your vacation.  

On French Orient Beach there is an entire section of the beach reserved for nude bathers and on many days there are as many or more bathers in the nude section as there are on the prude section.   Carol and I were sitting at Club Orient today, relaxing under our yellow umbrella on our orange loungers when I looked at her and said, "We're going to need a lot more lotion."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Like Father, Like Son" Story

Evan and Mike in Mike's glass studio.

 It was an ordinary day.  Just finished visiting with a former student of mine, Mike, and his son Evan.  Recently saw an article in the local paper about Evan and a classmate of his who were making a film that they plan to submit to the Sundance Film Festival with the hopes of having it selected to be shown at the festival in the near future.  Made me think of his dad and the talent that he exhibited as a student in high school.  I had Mike in my Graphic Arts classes in 1979 and 1980.  

Mike with one of his designs.

Mike was one of the best students I had in the 33 years that I taught high school.  His attention to detail in all that he did was incredible, and it has carried over into his professional life.  Mike is the founder and owner of Lancaster Stained Glass Designs in Lancaster which he started in the early 2000s.  I can still visualize one of Mike's designs when he was a senior taking my second year class.  All students were required to design and print a multi-color hand-cut silkscreen T-shirt.  Mike's design was for the Colorguard of the marching band at Manheim Township High School. It featured a bird with wings spread open and flames in the background.  Must have been a half-dozen colors or more and when he finished printing the dozen of so shirts, the registration (all colors lining-up correctly) was perfect.  Extremely hard for a professional to accomplish by hand, yet alone a young high school student.  I just knew he had a brilliant future ahead of him.  Mike couldn't afford college, but eventually found a job with a well-known professional photographer in Lancaster.  In 1986 he began a part-time glass studio which would eventually become his profession.  He eventually left the photography business to work in the technology field until he finally decided to go full time in his own glass studio in 2001.  Most of Mike's clients rely on him for their designs which he produces on his CAD system.  Seems his son Evan has inherited his artistic talent and determination. Evan will be a high school senior this year and has hopes of studying computer science in college.  Has  has already applied to University of Pittsburgh and is awaiting their acceptance.  He first got interested in videography in Manheim Township Middle School when he worked in the TV Studio.  Continued his interest in high school with courses in Cinematography and Broadcast Video.  

Evan with one of his cameras he uses for his films.

Evan, along with his friend Nick, hope the film they are producing will be one of the 85 submissions that advance at Sundance.  Another of the duo's films was one of the 12 finalists recently in the "60-Second Film Festival" in Lancaster.  The family genes will definitely be to his advantage in his endeavors and I'm sure his dad's influence coupled with his talent will make him a huge success.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Oh what beautiful eyebrows you have!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Heading to the eye doctor for my yearly visit to see if my eyes are free of glaucoma and cataracts.  I have a family history of both and about a dozen years ago I was told that I needed to make bi-yearly visits to catch anything harmful in the early stages.  After filling out the multi-page questionnaire, Layne, the doctor's assistant checked to make sure I could still see the small letters at the bottom of the wall chart.  The exam room is rather small so the chart must be projected through a series of four mirrors in order to be the correct distance away from me.  Putting your hand in the air will block the light and leave the wall empty I found out.  "Only kidding" I told him.  No trouble with the letters!  Then it was time for the dreaded drops to numb my eyes.  After a check for pressure I got another round of drops.  We talked about the pigmentation in my right eye and how everyone actually has brown eyes and with changes in the environment, it changes the color of ones eyes.  What?  The coloring in the eyes is called melanin and depending on the concentration of melanin in the eyes, that will determine the color.  Blue eyes are the result of less melanin while dark brown or black eyes are a heavy concentration of melanin.  Same goes for the skin.  A dark-skinned person has much more melanin than a very light-skinned individual.  A person who is albino has no melanin and also has pink coloring in the eyes.  He also told me that the farther you are away from the equator, the more likely your eye color will be lighter.  "That's why Norwegians have mostly blue eyes," he said.  By now he really has my attention.  I asked him about my right eye which is half brown and half green and he told me that under magnification he can see a distinct line that separates the two which means that I shouldn't worry about cancer in my eye as a previous doctor had suggested.  When I met with Dr. Jones, a former student who I had in high school, I told him about the conversation I had with his assistant.  He just looked at me in amazement.  Then he said, "Actually the side of the eye that faces towards the rear is brown in every person."  OK, now I understand it!  Maybe!!  I wonder how he knows that.  Well, he examined me and examined me and told me that I was the same as last year and have no symptoms of any type of eye disease.  Told me he'd see me at Costco sometime in the future and to make an appointment for a year from now.  Talked with the receptionist about my appointment, grabbed a couple of dark plastic shields for my glasses and headed to the exit.  All morning the sky was cloud-covered and that's just what I needed since my eyes had been super-dilated for the exam.  But, as soon as I opened the exit door, the sun burst through the clouds.  Thanks a lot!  I looked in my rear view mirror and was amazed at the huge, dark black eyebrows I had grown in the past hour. It was another 

extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - I should point out that nothing in the story today is fact.  It is only what I think the doctor's assistant told me.  Could be I didn't hear it correctly or it could be I did hear it correctly and it is fact.  You be the judge.  For me ...... well .......

The "A Player's Manager" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Game's over and the Fightin' Phils won another.  Seems to run in spurts this year, but I still enjoy watching them.  My favorite this year, newcomer center fielder Ben Revere, just broke a bone in his ankle when he swung at a pitch and it hit him in the ankle.  Gonna miss watching him for the next couple of months.  Hope he gets back in time for the playoffs, since I'm sure the Phils will be back in there again.  Waiting on the post-game interviews so I can see Charlie.  Charlie would be the manager of the Phils, Charlie Manuel.  When I watch him walk to the mound during the game to make a pitching change or just give encouragement to the pitcher, I actually feel the same pain that it looks like he is feeling.  Not pain from the game, but the pain from the walk from the dugout to the mound, since you see, he is 9 months older than I am and if I had to make that walk I would be in pain also.  When Charlie speaks, I'm not sure if he is talking forwards or backwards.  Kinda mumbles his words and mashes them together, if you understand what I mean. May be from all the bubblegum he chews during the game.  And, if you don't know what I mean, tune in to a Phils game close to the end, hope they win, and wait for Charlie to talk to the press.  He seems like the nicest person and I'd love to meet him sometime.  Being 69 years old as I write this post, Charlie has had some physical problems in the past with a heart attack, quadruple bypass surgery and kidney cancer on his medical chart.  He was interviewed not long ago about his health and when he plans to retire and he said this: "Talks about when I'm retiring come up every year  I'm probably in better health than I've been in years.  I'm trying not to think about it.  It's easy to get lost in your health problems, but my interest and love of the game really helped me battle all those setbacks.  Baseball kept me going."  Charlie is the oldest manager in the majors right now and his players love him.  He spend time to get to know every one of them and what makes them tick.  He is what is called a player's coach.    Has been in professional ball from when he signed with the Twins in 1963 after graduating from high school.  Spent some time in the minors and finally made it to the "bigs" in 1969 with the Twins and then with the Dodgers until 1974.  Left fielder and pinch-hitter, he wasn't real successful until he left the United States and played in Japan.  Wildly popular for his hitting ability, he was know as "Aka-Oni" (The Red Devil) by the fans and his teammates.  In 1979 he was on track to break the Japanese record for home runs in a month until he was beaned and had his jaw broken in six places.   He came back from that injury and was voted league Most Valuable Player for 1979.  His career came to an end after the 1981 season.  

Charlie with the World Series Trophy

He returned to the states and was a scout for the Twins, manager in '83-'87 for the Twins, and then manager of the Cleveland Indians.  Signed to manage the Phils in 2004 and won the World Series in 2008.  I can remember that World Series very well.  We were on vacation in Barbados at the time and I had to follow them on my computer.  Won the series in the 5th game when we were on the plane heading home to Philadelphia.  Luckily the pilot was a Phils fan and gave the passengers a play-by-play of the final innings of the game while still in the air.  Eventually Charlie will no longer be with the Phils.  Funny, I will miss him!  If I had been a professional baseball player like I had dreamed many times, Charlie Manuel would have been my manager.  At least in my dreams it is that way!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Charlie's Twins Baseball Card

Charlie's Dodger's Baseball Card

One of Charlie's Baseball Cards from Japan

The "Adventures on the Lincoln Highway: Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  A lazy summer Sunday afternoon with absolutely nothing to do.  The grass looked great, the weeds were wilting from being sprayed and the elephant ears were getting huge.  Carol and I had just finished lunch and I told her I wanted to take a drive to take some photos for a story I was planning.  Didn't seem to interested in my idea until I told her we could stop at Dairy Queen for a Blizzard on the way home.  Didn't take long for her to close the passenger's side car door.  My mission today is to take photos along the Lincoln Highway from Lancaster to York.  This stretch of the Lincoln Highway is now known as Rt. 462, but at one time was designated as U.S. Rt. 30.  The Lincoln Highway was the first coast-to-coast highway in the United States and was the brainchild of Carl G. Fisher in 1912.  It opened in 1913 and is celebrating it's 100 Anniversary this year.  As Carol and I picked up the road on the Western outskirts of the city, I said, "I'm excited to see what we can find that's old on the Lincoln Highway today."  She came back with, "You mean like us!"  "Yeah right!  Nah, I mean places that may have existed when the highway first opened in the mid-1910s."  

Maple Grove today.

We first passed what used to be the Maple Grove Swimming Pool which in 1913 was a short ride on the streetcar.  The park boasted a two million gallon pool that was the world's largest.  Lined with Belgian block that came from the streets of Lancaster and a beach that featured sand shipped in from Cape May, NJ.  

Maple Grove in the early 1900s.

At one time there was a snack bar, roller coaster and airplane swings and the auditorium featured big bands and boxing matches. I can remember my mom taking me there as a child and also to listening to the Friday night fights broadcast by radio from Maple Grove.  Today all that remains is a Community Center and a grassy park where the pool was located. As we headed West, we passed through the town of Mountville where my grandson was playing baseball a few weeks ago on a neat little field behind the VFW.

Mountville Post Office in the early 1900s.

The Lincoln Highway in this town featured the original Post Office which became Showers Store. That store is no longer there, replaced with a private residence.  As we headed into Columbia we passed Bully's on Main where our son Derek worked as a bartender for a year or so in the late 1990s.  Place was first built as a railroad hotel in 1903 to support the bustling town of Columbia.  

Bully's On Main as it appears today.

Since just after the turn of the twentieth century, this location has welcomed guests with the promise of a satisfying meal, first-rate drinks, lively company, and the offer of a warm, clean place to a get good night’s sleep.  As we entered the town of Columbia I told Carol to be on the lookout for the ceramic tiles that had recently been imbedded in the sidewalks along the Lincoln Highway, which is one of the main streets through the town.  The tiles feature a likeness of Abraham Lincoln, each measuring 8" x 8", made in terra-cotta with a deep reddish-brown glaze.

Limited Edition ceramic street tile of Lincoln

A limited edition of 500 were made and are offered for sale. Finally realized that the small items that looked like drains in the middle of pavement slabs were the tiles. As we reached the West end of the town we passed a beautiful Victorian Mansion that was built in 1890 and now houses the home and gallery of Tom Hermansader.  

Hermansader Mansion in Columbia dated 1890. 

Tom was a school teacher at one time who retired and now makes limited edition paintings of Lancaster County landmarks. I got to know him when both he and Keith Grebinger, my current boss at the gallery where I work part-time, had stands at Park City Center during the holiday season.  We crossed the Susquehanna on the Veterans Memorial Bridge and passed through Wrightsville before finally reaching the East end of York, PA. which is now called Market Street as it passes through the city of York.  

Pump in front of what used to
be Lincoln Highway Garage.

I decided that it was time to call it a day and head to the promised Dairy Queen.  First had to make a stop at a Turkey Hill mini-market for gas and realized that the store was the 1921 Esso Lincoln Highway Garage.  On the exterior wall of the Turkey Hill store was a mural showing what the station looked like in it's heyday on the Lincoln Highway.  

 Original gas pump stood on the other end of the store.  Neat way to finish our photo journey, except for the lemon meringue Blizzard I had at Dairy Queen.  Stay tuned for other stories in the next few weeks of my travels on other parts of the historic Lincoln Highway which is celebrating it's 100 anniversary this year.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Turkey Hill Gas Station from today.

Painting on the far right wall of the gas station showing what the Lincoln Highway Garage looked like in the early 1900s.

The "Hummin' The Tune" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Listening to music that I downloaded into iTunes a couple or three years ago that I bought from a beach vendor in St. Martin.  He was walking up and down the beach with earphones and a case with CDs in it.  He passed me and motioned to the headset as he passed.  I motioned for him to come over and in no time I was listening to "You and I" which was recorded on the island by a local band known as I Lee.  Fantastic local Raggae music.  The CD was in a clear plastic CD sleeve and the names of the songs were hand-lettered on the ruled cover sheet.  Songs like Rocking Down Town, You Baby, and Telephone Mama joined You and I on the list of nine songs.  Didn't matter to me that I had never heard of the group or that it didn't have a fancy sleeve to hold it.  I loved the rhythmatic beat and the fact that I could understand the words.  The more I listened to it the more I enjoyed it.  Then I read when we hear music that we like, even for the first time, a part of the brain's reward system is activated.  The region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens determines how much we value a song, even predicting how much a person is willing to pay for the new track.  For years scientists have been trying to understand why humans attach so much value to abstract sequences of sound waves.  A powerful song, no matter what type of music, can evoke a deep emotional response.  It has been found that dopamine, a chemical produced in the brain, plays a major role in the brain system that is responsible for reward-driven learning.  Listener's pleasure centers in the brain surge during key passages of favorite music anticipating the crescendo to come.  As for me, my dopamine was surging when I heard I Lee for the first time, much like it was the first time I heard Jimmy Buffett singing on the car radio the first time about a dozen years ago.  I read that there have been many studies done to determine why a person's brain reacts the way it does to certain types of music.  I'm sure that when my mom and dad heard rock and roll music for the first time in the 50s their dopamine must have sent shock signals through their bodies.   Probabaly did the same thing for me when I heard rap for the first time.  Actually, my dopamine still is in the hold mode when I hear rap today.  Think about your favorite genre of music and how you reacted the very first time you heard it.  How about a favorite musician?  Remember how you felt when you heard him or her for the first time.  Well, that's how I felt that day on the beach when the beach vendor pushed play and I was engulfed in the music of I Lee.  I'll never forget it!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Beach in the Woods" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sittin' on my Tommy Bahama beach chair reading my Kindle on the beach in Huntington County, PA.  So where is the beach in the mountains just south of State College?  It's located at Whipple Dam State Park which is 12 miles south of Happy Valley. Neat little beach about the length of a football field which is part of the Pennsylvania State Park system.  The beach borders the 22-acre Whipple Lake which is fed by underground springs, therefore the water is freeezzzinnggg.  Made the trip to the beach with my wife and our traveling friends who live in State College, PA, Jerry and Just Sue.  The park was originally purchased from the Iroquois Confederation by the Proprietary Government of Pennsylvania on July 6, 1754.  Over a hundred years later Osgood M. Whipple purchased a large block of the land and constructed a dam and sawmill downstream of the current park dam.  The water was used for the operation of the "up and down" sawmill.  In 1897 Whipple closed the business, but the dam remained and is now known as Whipple's Dam.  Between 1933 and 1941 the Civilian Conservation Corps built pavilions, roads, beach, and restrooms and eventually in 1987 the area was designated The Whipple Dam Historic District.  The crowd today is primarily college students from nearby Penn State University and as I look around I believe I may be the oldest visitor.  No....wait!  My friend Jerry is a month older than me so he can have the title of "oldest beach bum" today.  Sun is shining and there is very little breeze as we all sit, reading and relaxing.  I eventually grabbed my camera and drifted away from the rest to snap a few photos of this beautiful area in the midst of thousands and thousands of towering trees.  Following is a sampling of my journey around Whipple's Dam.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

Beach and swimming area 

Friends who adopted me  

Really neat recrational area 

Plenty of visitors 

The reconstructed dam 

Now this is fishing

Queen Anne would love this place 

Creatures of the water 

Another view of the dam 

Colorful insects abound 

Perfect day for the anglers 

Lunch

The beach in the distance 

Fruit in all colors

And ...... the guests come in all ages

The "I'll have a one-hump milkshake" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Recently saw a story about a farm a few miles from my house that had a caravan of camels which they used for milk.  I just had to see that for myself so I hopped in the car and followed the directions that my computer had just spit out of the printer a few minutes ago.

Farm is located in the heart of the Amish country where the fields are green, roads narrow and the farming is all done by non-motorized equipment.  Didn't take long to find Miller's Organic Farm located at the end of a long lane that had no power lines leading towards the farm.  I drove past slowly, following an older couple on scooters who were looking and pointing.  Bet they are here for the same reason I thought to myself.  As I rounded a sharp curve in the narrow road I saw a head sticking out of a barn on the opposite side of the road.  The Miller farm is immense it seems.  Stopped and yelled out the window at the camel.

Wasn't sure what to yell at the animal, so I just yelled "Hey!"  Must not know that language, since it kept staring in the opposite direction.  When I looked in that direction I saw another camel up to it's knees in green grass, resting under the shade of a large tree.  Then I remembered that these animals probably don't need to stay out of the heat since they are bred for very dry and arid regions where there are no trees for shade.  Miller's Organic Farm is one of about a half dozen camel dairies in the nation, most operated by Amish or Plain Sect farmers.

It is part of a co-op that offers other camel products such as yogurt, cheese, butter and even milk soap.  The milk tastes similar to cow's milk, but somewhat saltier.  Miller's has six camels in their milking caravan.  I had to Google what you call a group of camels, since I figured you couldn't use herd as you do with cows.  They ship the milk all over the United States and Canada with a cost of $10 a pint.  Why buy camel's milk? It seems that he sells the milk to parents of autistic children, since these parents have told Miller that they have noticed improvement in their child's vocabulary and the milk is supposed to help people with diabetes.  Doctor's aren't quite sure of the powers of camel's milk, since very few studies have been done with this relatively new product.  The camels are milked twice a day and will only allow milking for about 90 seconds each time.

Camel's milk

The newspaper article that I read said that camels tend to be a "one-man animal" and you need to learn their traits and personality before you will be accepted by the animal.  It seemed so different to see camels on a farm in Lancaster County, but if it proves to be successful and profitable, I'm sure I'll see quite a few more camel farms in the future.  Just have to learn their language so I can communicate better with them.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Adventures on the Lincoln Highway: Part I" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just got back from Columbia, Pennsylvania after taking some photos to illustrate a story on the many bridges that connected the cities of Wrightsville and Columbia.  On the Columbia side of the bridge is a Pennsylvania Historical Marker that details the road that I was following.  The Lincoln Highway has an interesting history that dates back to the early 1900s.  As I read the sign I realized that 1913 marks the the beginning of this historic roadway.  The Lincoln Highway has been part of my life since I was born.  It runs directly through the center of Lancaster City and was designed to provide the country with it's first coast-to-coast highway, traveling between New York and San Francisco.  As per the highway marker: The highway changed the way people traveled and the landscape of nearby towns.  Industries such as filling stations, tourist cabins, and restaurants sprang up along the highway.  In 1925, much of the route through Pennsylvania became Route 30.  Over the past few Sundays the local newspaper printed a series of stories about the 100th Anniversary of the Lincoln Highway.  Stories were written by a local blogger who submitted them to the newspaper.  I would like to tell you my story of a few of the stops and places found on the Lincoln Highway in my immediate area.  My travels will be limited to a few of the counties that touch Lancaster, my home.  It all began, as it usually does, with an ingenious person who had an idea on how to improve something.  

Carl G. Fisher

Carl G. Fisher manufactured carbide-gas headlights that were used on most of the cars of the era.  He also was one of the builders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  The importance of good roads would lead to the popularity of automobiles he believed so in 1912 he began promoting his idea of a transcontinental highway. At a meeting with friends in Indianapolis he proposed a rock highway from coast-to-coast that would go through 13 states.  In no time his friends had pledged $1 million.  He wanted the rock highway to be completed by May 1, 1915, in time for the Panama-Pacific International Expo in San Francisco.  Contributors included Edison, former President Theodore Roosevelt and then-current President Wilson.  One notable big name, Henry Ford refused to contribute, since he believed that the government should build the highway.  One of Carl's heroes was Abraham Lincoln and so he chose his name for the highway.  On July 1, 1913, the Lincoln Highway Association was established to create the rock highway from Times Square, NY to Lincoln Park in San Francisco.  It was proposed that the road be toll free so as to attract more motorists.  The first officially recorded length of the entire Lincoln highway in 1913 was 3,389 miles.  About half of the Lincoln Highway was to be previously constructed roadway which would be improved.  

Gas pump sculpture in
Chambersburg, PA.  Pix by
Michael Grass

In Pennsylvania, the highway would follow the 62-mile Philadelphia to Lancaster Pike, the first extensive turnpike in the United States that was completed in 1796, and a British military trail built in 1758 from Chambersburg to Pittsburgh during the French and Indian War.  In the West the Lincoln highway used sections of the Mormon Trail as well as the route of the Overland Stage Line and the Pony Express.  As motorists entered California they would cross the Sierra Nevada through the Donner Pass.  During the early years of the Lincoln Highway, a trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific took 20 to 30 days at an average speed of 18 miles an hour.  Eventually route numbers were assigned to roadways in the U.S. and the Lincoln Highway was assigned U.S. Route 30.  Today the Lincoln Highway still exists, but with many bypasses around densely populated areas.  My trip today was on the old Lincoln Highway, now currently Route 462 and the resulting story of that trip with photos will appear soon.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - I plan to post several stories in the coming weeks about my adventures on different parts of the Lincoln Highway.  Stay tuned!

The "Christmas Trip to Eli's" Story




A bike much like my Christmas gift.

It was an ordinary day. I could hardly wait to ride my new bike to Eli's to get a soda. I can still remember that Christmas Day when I got my 26" three-speed blue bike with white-walled tires and hand-brakes. I just loved it. Think I was probably 12 years-old at the time, but my age escapes me right now. Eli's was a corner store that sold just about everything that anyone in the neighborhood could or would need. Eli was an old man to me, but looking back on it now, was probably the age I am now. Tall and thin with white hair and slightly hunched over from carrying all those boxes of groceries all the time. And, oh yeah, he always wore that white apron that went around his neck and came down to his knees. Eli's was located on the corner of East Ross and North Queen Streets in the north end of the city of Lancaster, PA. I dressed in a warm jacket (my mom made sure I had a hat and gloves on, naturally), opened the front door to our house, and off I went on my new three-speed for a ride around the neighborhood. My intentions, naturally, were to head to Eli's to get a soda and show off my bike to him and his wife. Boy did he love it. I showed him how the three gears and the new hand brakes worked. After drinking my soda, I hopped back on the bike and headed home. As I approached the alley, which was a half-block from my house, I jammed on the brakes as someone was making a turn into the alley. I had never had a bike with hand-brakes and when I grabbed the right brake, being I'm right-handed, and squeezed, I went flying over the handlebars. Landed on the stones of the alley, but didn't worry about the cuts on my hands. I was worried about my new bike. No visible damage so I was a happy boy. Never, ever told my parents about my fall for fear they would take my new bike away from me. Learned my lesson that day in regards to how to use hand-brakes. Best way to learn anything, I guess. Every time I now drive past what used to be Eli's I wonder what ever happened to him. Don't like to think the worst, but that was a long, long time ago, so I really know my answer. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Artwork for the Serious Sports Fan" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished matting and framing a few sports posters for the baseball and football players in the area.  I work part-time at Grebinger Gallery which is owned by a former student who I had in high school.  After retiring I was asked to help in the gallery with the matting and framing of artwork and memorability that is brought into the store.  Fun job and I get to see artwork from a variety of artists as well as the unusual items that people bring in to have framed.  This week I was working on a few football and baseball posters as well as a few signed and numbered sports prints.  The following prints and posters are for sale in the gallery and if you are interested you can find us on the Lititz Pike in Neffsville, PA behind the UHaul Truck Rental.  Posters and prints make great presents for the sports fan in the family.  I have given quite a few to my family over the years.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This is something a little different.  Not sports related, but very interesting.   Grebinger Gallery can spell out your name with black and white photos that are of found objects in nature.  We have multiple photos of each letter of the alphabet so you can have your name done with a variety of photos even if you have two or more of the same letter in your name.

Signed and numbered Cal Ripken print.

We have Superbowl and World Series posters that are 40" long and 16" high.

This is the latest Superbowl poster.  Baltimore and San Francisco.

Phils Richie Ashburn sliding into home is this signed and numbered print.

Yankees Derek Jeter has his shirt, glove, ball and bat in this signed and numbered print.Fan" Story