Main Street Across America

 

Note: click on each map to enlarge.

     The Lincoln Highway was dedicated in October 1913. It was the first national memorial in honor of President Abraham Lincoln--the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. was dedicated in 1922. 
     The Lincoln Highway was the nation's first automobile road to connect East Coast with West Coast. It passed through 13 states. Another state, West Virginia, was added in 1928. The press called the road "Main Street Across America."
     The Lincoln Highway connected Times Square in New York City with Lincoln Park in San Francisco, a distance of 3,389 miles. In 1926, it became part of the national highway system and was designated US Route 30.
     Since there weren't any tunnels under the Hudson River when the highway was dedicated, travellers rode a ferry to Jersey City. In 1928, when the Holland Tunnel was completed, the highway was rerouted through the tunnel from Manhattan to Jersey City.
     Interstate transportation was controlled by railroads in 1912. An automobile highway was a radical concept. Most existing roads were dirt roads; less than nine percent were "improved" with gravel, stone, brick, clay or oiled surfaces. A large number of "plank" roads were still utilized, especially in parts of the country where heavy rainfall or melting snow created muddy roads.
     The invention of the motor carriage, or car, spurred the idea of a national highway. Carl Fisher, a manufacturer of car headlamps and a founder of the Indianapolis Speedway, and several wealthy friends, put the idea in motion in September 1912. They created the Lincoln Highway Association. It was estimated that the highway project would cost $10 million. Fisher claimed that building the highway would stimulate American commerce and agriculture. It would also stimulate the manufacture of cars and car parts.
     The highway was only partially built when dedicated on October 31, 1913. Less than half of the road was "improved." It was hoped that the rest of the highway would be completed by May 1, 1915, in time for the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. But the work dragged on for years.
     On July 7, 1919, a U.S. Army transcontinental motor convoy left Washington, D.C., joined the Lincoln Highway at Gettysburg, and arrived in San Francisco on September 6, 1919. Calling attention to the convoy vehicle breakdowns and road conditions, the Lincoln Highway Association and Carl Fisher urged government funding with county and state bonds, and federal contributions too. Popular support and money for improvements soon followed.
     Lt. Col. Dwight Eisenhower was a member of the Army convoy. He wrote about his experience in his 1967 book: At Ease: Stories I tell My Friends. It was from this experience and his knowledge of the German autobahn network that he proposed the Interstate Highway System and Highway Trust Fund in 1956.
     The final unpaved segment of the highway was completed in Nevada in 1938. It was the 25th anniversary of the Lincoln Highway.
     Since 1940, the Lincoln Highway has been segmented or bypassed in various states. Those segments were given new route numbers.
     In 2003, the Lincoln Highway Association co-sponsored a cross country tour from Times Square, New York to Lincoln Park, San Francisco. Co-sponsor Ford Motor Company provided 35 vintage and new cars for the tour.
     In July 2013, a similar event will mark the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Highway. At least one hundred classic cars have been promised.
     Visit the official Lincoln Highway Association and experiment with an educational interactive map of the Lincoln Highway.
     Or get in the mood with a Willie Nelson road song.


References:
1) Lincoln Highway Association
2) Wikipedia