The Lincoln Highway is more than just a grand project of the early 20th Century “to procure the establishment of a continuous improved highway from the Atlantic to the Pacific, open to lawful traffic of all description without toll charges.” More than a connector of towns, or a way to sell early automobiles and automobile headlights (as Carl saw it), it is today a pathway into history. I am reminded of that as I travel across the Columbia-Wrightsville bridge (officially the Veterans Memorial Bridge) headed west.
The current bridge dates back to the 1930’s, but off the right side of the bridge are the remaining pylons of the previous bridge, and it is this bridge that is lodged firmly in the history books of the Civil War.
The 25 pylons are all that remains of the bridge the the Union forces set fire to on June 28th,1863. The conflagration forced the Confederate forces to re-consider their plan of heading east, possibly on to Harrisburg or Philadelphia, and drove them west toward fateful Gettysburg. I was fortunate enough to attend the 150th anniversary of the bridge burning. Volunteers navigating the river by boat lit bonfires on each of the remaining pylons, lighting up the night like a pathway of torches down the hallway of history. The evening was capped off by spectacular fireworks. I would have liked to wrap up the night with a visit to the excellent Burning Bridge Tavern, but the crowd was too large that night.
If you would like a deeper dive into the burning bridge story, and you happen to be visiting on a Sunday, retired volunteers man the Wrightsville Diorama from 1-4pm through November. It deserves a visit, if only to reward their tireless devotion.
While in Wrightsville, an excellent spot to view the great, wide expanse of the Susquehanna is from windows of the excellent John Wright Restaurant, just off to the right of the bridge.
So back to Carl Fisher, father of the Lincoln Highway and world class promoter. As will be repeated over and over in this blog, Fisher was a visionary and a marketing/promotional genius. And probably a bit crazy, but that goes with the territory. Unlike Henry Ford, he believed the Lincoln Highway should be funded by business and private investment. And that meant attracting attention. Carl knew how to attract attention. To sell cars he once pushed a Stoddard-Dayton off the top of a 7 story building. And that was only one stunt (more on that later).
Traveling the Lincoln Highway west through York County you encounter a spiritual promotional brother to Fisher in the person of one Mahlon Haines. Known as the Shoe Wizard of York, from a $127 initial consignment of shoes he built an empire of over 40 shoe stores in PA and MD. Like Carl Fisher, Haines was a promoter. He felt anyone could sell shoes if you attracted customers. His most outlandish advertising gimmick was The Shoe House, located just off to the right of the Lincoln Highway. Modeled after a high-topped work shoe, it is a wood frame structure with five different levels, three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and living room. The door to the main entrance features a stained glass portrait of Haines displaying a pair of shoes. Honeymooning couples from any town with a Haines store were invited to spend a romantic week in the shoe, served by a live-in butler and maid.
Eccentric but fascinating, Haines was similar to Fisher in that they were both high energy and both had wide-ranging interests. Imagine if Haines would have invited Fisher to a dinner party at the Shoe House, both of them throwing out outlandish ideas while huddled under the cramped 5ft ceilings and myriad staircases. But no smoking in the house. Haines was an avid non-smoker, widely before the dangers of smoking were widely known, and would stop people on the streets of York and offer them cash if they would promise to quit.
As we continue our journey west, you are now undoubtedly in need of refreshment.
You don’t need an energy drink, what you need is a good cup of java and a donut that tastes like a donut. Skip those bland, tasteless things you get at chains like Dunkin Donuts. What you need is a Maple Donut. This location on the Lincoln Highway is the main location where are Maple Donuts are made.
It all started in 1946 on Maple Street in York, but what matters is that they are still doing it today and that their original maple donut with the sweet maple icing glaze and the perfect cup of coffee is just what you need.
Reminds me of the Stephen King novel 11/22/63 where the guy goes back in time to the early ’60’s where food actually tasted better, more flavorful. To me, that is how these donuts taste–deliciously real. What better place to pick up an economic stimulus package to go.
With your energy restored, you head out through York city.
Lincoln Highway Travels 