Just months after the end of the First World War, a military convoy of about seventy vehicles spent sixty-two days crossing the United States. Setting out on July 7, 1919, it generally followed the young Lincoln Highway although there were several deviations. One of the most significant was that, rather than starting at the LH’s eastern terminus in New York, it began its westbound journey from a temporary marker near the White House in Washington, DC. A permanent Zero Milestone was erected there in 1923 with the intent that it would be the “POINT FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF DISTANCES FROM WASHINGTON ON HIGHWAYS OF THE UNITED STATES”. It hasn’t quite worked out that way.
For their observation of the 1919 convoy’s centennial, the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) had originally planned on departing from that Zero Milestone but later decided to launch directly from their annual convention in York, PA. That happened on Monday, the 12th. On Wednesday, I caught up with them in East Palestine, Ohio, about a mile after they entered the state. East Palestine was a planned overnight stop and I had expected the convoy to already be in town and parked by the time I got there. It was delayed by an accident, however, and we ended up arriving almost simultaneously. Had I realized this and pulled over at the earliest opportunity, I could have photographed essentially the entire convoy. A few vehicles had already passed by the time I got stopped to grab the opening photo and photos of most of the vehicles following which included some pretty big gear.
A nearby park would be the convoy’s home for the night and I headed there to look over the vehicles. The trailered staff car is a 1918 Dodge. The Jeep is a 1943 model built by Ford. I imagine it’s a lot like the one my Dad drove around Belgium, France, and Germany in 1944-45. There’s a front view here and an interior shot here.
Before leaving, I asked one of the participants when they would be leaving in the morning. I was told between 6:30 and 7:00 but really thought that a bit ambitious. When I returned about 6:40 AM, I kind of expected to be killing time until everyone was awake and ready. Not so at all. The last vehicles were pulling into position when I arrived and the first Jeep rolled by at 6:47. The field was empty at 6:52. This is a military convoy.
That was the end of my planned contact with the convoy. I found an independent restaurant in East Palestine for breakfast (Heck’s, recommended) with thoughts of following it with a leisurely drive home. The path that the convoy was following is identified as an “Auxiliary route” on the online LHA map. Apparently, it was part of the 1913 Proclamation Route and the 1919 convoy likely followed it to dinner at Harvey Firestone’s place. I had never driven it before so decided it would be the first leg of that leisurely drive home. By the time I finished eating, I’d learned that the convoy was stopping along the route for breakfast at a place called Firestone Farms.
Their breakfast stop was considerably longer than mine which allowed me to catchup. Firestone Farms is a housing and shopping development on what was once Harvey Firestone’s farm. The original 1828 farmhouse was moved to Greenfield Village in 1983. This facade was built sometime later as part of the commercial development. During today’s stop, the screen on the right showed scenes from a movie of the 1919 convoy while the one on the left showed a movie about wartime manufacturing at Firestone. The tent beyond the clock tower contained displays of local history with an emphasis on Firestone.
The trailered Jeep was one of the vehicles involved in yesterday’s accident. Both drivers were taken to the hospital but are recovering. One of the participants told me that parts are on the way to repair one of the vehicles and the driver, though sore, expects to finish the trip in it. I’m thinking that this is the vehicle in question but do not know that for certain. The second picture shows how some convoy members proudly display Lincoln Highway signage.
When the convoy started getting ready to pull out, I headed to downtown Columbiana for one last encounter. I counted and snapped pictures of thirty-eight vehicles, including the three on trailers, as they passed through the roundabout. Here‘s a rear view of that Packard staff car I captured back at Firestone Farms.
I followed the auxiliary route to Canton and headed home from there. The convoy should be about ready to exit Ohio when this is published. The overnight for today (August 18) is South Bend, IN. A schedule has been posted to their Facebook page but I found it a little tricky to locate so have copied it to share here. Note that this is only a copy and more current information can be obtained through the Facebook page.
The Lincoln Highway Association has a separate centennial tour following the 1919 convoy route. That tour, described here, will be departing from Washington, DC, on August 31.