Day 5: June 20, 2012 To West Virginia and Back

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Today I was on the Lincoln Highway east tour whose first stop was on the bricks of Baywood Street. This is right across US-30 from Palmantier's Motel where I stayed Sunday night. The bricks were long ago pulled apart in a road widening operation but they still support the big loads -- like our bus.

Stop number two was at a pair of buildings maintained by the Lisbon Historical Society. One is the oldest stone building in Ohio. Built in 1805 as a tavern, it has served as a church, a residence, and, now, a museum. Among the many artifacts on display are the saddlebags that Joseph Maus use to carry mail between Lisbon and Philadelphia in 1818. Next door, the former train depot is also now a museum.

We slipped briefly into West Virginia to visit the site of the bridge that once carried the Lincoln Highway then US-30 over the Ohio River. Its abutment now holds a nice little park. As the bus circled back to return to Ohio, we got a glimpse of the World's Largest Teapot.

Lunch was at the Hot Dog Shoppe in East Liverpool, Ohio. We had all filled out orders on the bus and those reached the restaurant ahead of us. Delivering food to 50+ people wasn't instantaneous but it was fairly quick. By a perverse coincidence, Bernie Queneau, who will turn 100 next month and to whom the conference is dedicated, received the additional "honor" of being the last person served. I discovered too late that the only usable picture I have of the whole restaurant clips off a nice weather vane. Here's a decent picture of the vane for anyone who wants to mentally attach it.

I was really looking forward to our stop at the Museum of Ceramics in East Liverpool and I wasn't disappointed. There are loads of rare examples along with exhibits about the making of ceramics. If being right on the Lincoln Highway isn't enough, there are some connections inside including a plate commemorating the 1915 New York to San Francisco movie making trip.

On the way back, we stopped at the Robertsville Grange ostensively to view this large stage backdrop but also for juice and cookies. The painting represents the area where the Grange building sits circa 1930. Most of the buildings depicted are still there today.

The Wednesday night treat was a showing of The Great Race at the historic Palace Theater along with entry to the theater an hour before show time. After being given an overview of the theater and its history, we were allowed to roam throughout the building while Jay Spencer entertained us on the big Kilgen organ. LHA members Esther Silvius and Lynn Asp also took a turn at the console. Eventually, though, it was time to buy popcorn and watch the movie. That's entertainment.

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