Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Okay - now here's one you can see right here in the Susquehanna Valley. Off of Route 30 between the Susquehanna Bridge and York.

Take a visit back to the era of post-World War II optimism and enthusiasm when the Shoe House was built. "Colonel" Mahlon N. Haines, known as the Shoe Wizard of York, was one of York County's most colorful and illustrious citizens. Born in Old Washington, Ohio in 1875, Haines moved to York while in his early twenties. From his first consignment of $127.00 worth of shoes, he built a shoe sales empire in central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland that at its height included more than 40 stores.

The Shoe House built in 1948, was by far Haines' most outlandish advertising gimmick. The building, modeled after a high-topped work shoe, is a wood frame structure covered with wire lath and coated with a cement stucco. It measures 48 feet in length, 17 feet in width at the widest part and 25 feet in height. The interior consists of five different levels and contains three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and living room. The shoe motif is everywhere--from the design of the stained glass windows to the shoe-shaped dog house and the decoration on the wooden fence that surrounds the property. In the ultimate homage to the shoe and the wizard, the door to the main entrance bears a portrait in stained glass of Haines himself displaying a pair of shoes! This giant structural advertisement was originally used as a guest house.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

In Bristol, TN, the Grand Guitar, modeled after a Martin guitar, is three stories tall and 70' long. It was built in 1983 and originally housed a music store. It was later used as a radio station and country music museum with unusual instruments and Porter Waggoner outfits. The building was vacant in 2001 and deteriorating. In 2004, it reopened briefly as the Joe Morrell Grand Guitar, a music museum. I believe it is still vacant as of 2009.

Monday, September 28, 2009

The Giant Tire located in Detroit, Michigan, is made of fiberglass and is 86' tall - the equivalent of an eight story building. It debuted at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 as a working ferris wheel. The ferris wheel consisted of 24 barrel-shaped gondolas, rotating around the circumference of the tire. More than two million people rode it. After the Fair, it was brought back to Detroit, sans ferris wheel cars, as an advertising landmark for the U.S. Royal (now Uniroyal) plant and tourist attraction.

However, in 1990, Michelin Tire bought Uniroyal-Goodrich Tire Co. and renovated and updated the Giant Tire in 1994. Neon lighting and a new hubcab were added. In 1998, the tire was altered to advertise the company's self-sealing Tiger Paw NailGard tire and a 10' long nail was stuck in it. A new hubcab was added that said "Takes on Nails". The Tire still stands today, without the nail, on eastbound I-94 in Allen Park. It was renovated again in 2003.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Here are a few from Maryland--I don't think I even have to say too much about them! But, of course, you know I will!

The Baltimore Gunsmith opened in 1904. The metal sign depicts a Colt Revolver. I believe this was once a neon sign.

I'm not sure if the Dairy Maid Dairy still operates anything other than offices in this building with the cute milk bottle sign over the door. I know they still have regular milk bottling operations in Frederick, MD, but this seemed to be a very quiet location with no trucks around.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Here are a few more signs that have peaked my interest:

Henderson's Drugs in Penn Yan, NY, founded in 1956. They have four other locations (Geneva, Montour Falls, Seneca Falls, and Syracuse). This one has the most interesting signage.

Brown Derby in Poughkeepsie, NY, is a restaurant that opened in 1902. In recent years, it was known as 96 Main but new owners have changed the name back to the original.

Don't forget - I invite you to send me a picture (.jpg file) of the favorite sign you've encountered on your travels--whether it is still an operating business or not. send it to: thebusmuseum@yahoo.com.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Another Pennsylvania "sign" landmark is for the ZIPPO Lighter Company in Bradford, PA.

The Zippo Manufacturing Co. has been producing lighters since the 1930s. Their downtown building features a neon rooftop sign which is animated at night. The giant lighter over the entrance is engraved with "GGB" as a tribute to George G. Blaisdell, the inventor of the Zippo lighter. The parking lot next door features several Zippo-topped streetlights. The nearby Zippo Lighter Visitors Center features more Zippo "street-lighters" and a giant lighter over the entrance. It serves as a museum and has a gift shop for collectors

Don't forget - I invite you to send me a picture (.jpg file) of the favorite sign you've encountered on your travels--whether it is still an operating business or not. send it to: thebusmuseum@yahoo.com.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

I realize I'm off the beaten track a little here but I thought about signs we see (especially after writing about the Greyhound "hound" signs).

Some of the unusual signs: As you travel around, especially by bus, you have the opportunity to "gaze at the world":

The Heinz neon sign features a pouring ketchup bottle which empties into the lettering below. The sign, built in 1995, is nearly 43' tall and uses 1,200 lights. The sign was taken down in 2007 and the company is looking for a new location for it. There are also two 35' tall neon Heinz bottles that pour ketchup in Heinz Field (football stadium).

In Hopwood, PA, you will encounter this chicken: Ruse's Roost opened in 1952. The modified walk-up stand now has picnic tables, an indoor dining area and a drive-up takeout window. They also offer 61 flavors of milkshakes, homemade potato chips and Georgia Fried Chicken.

I invite you to send me a picture (.jpg file) of the favorite sign you've encountered on your travels--whether it is still an operating business or not. send it to: thebusmuseum@yahoo.com.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The New York City Greyhound station was built in 1935 (pre-Arrasmith) across the street from Pennsylvania Station. It was demolished in 1972.

This is a great photo with the buses all in place.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Baltimore Greyhound station was designed by Arrasmith and built in 1942. The building was faced with white limestone and features terrazzo floors. At one point, it served as a bank. The Greyhound inlay survives in the sidewalk at the Center St. entrance. In 1997, the building was purchased by the Maryland Historical Society. They were restoring the building as an annex when these photos were taken. The former station's running dog rooftop sign has been moved around the block.

I just love these pictures I found of the "hound"--the one is still visable in the sidewalk.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Greyhound Bus Stations - Many of these iconic Art Deco stations are now gone--but what survived were postcards showing their beauty.

The first picture above was the Cincinnati station which was designed by Arrasmith and built from 1941-1942. It was faced with Indiana limestone and had black terra cotta trim. The interior featured terrazzo floors, a restaurant, barber shop and drug store. Many aspects of the building's design were used later in the Cleveland, OH station. The building has been demolished.

The second postcard is the Portsmouth station was designed by George D. Brown and built around 1939. It is still there but painted battleship grey. The large garage door in front has been bricked up. The building is now used as some sort of storage facility for a charity organization.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

From Sunday, October 11 through the Spring of 2010, General Motors' dramatic, bus-like Futurliner, which was created for the Parade of Progress display, will be on display in the MBT section of the AACA Museum.

Only 12 were built, of which eight are known to exist, and five of those are in utter disrepair. Don't miss your chance to see Futurliner No. 10, one of the most significant collector vehicles of all time.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

AACA Eastern Division National Fall Meet - Behind the Wheel of a Classic is FAST APPROACHING. Have you made arrangements to be here? This is the week our display will change (over Wednesday evening). October 5-10th are the dates of the meeting. Thursday, Friday and Saturday of that week (October 8-10), the Museum will be open 9 am to 9 pm.

Please Note: On Wednesday, October 7th the Museum will be open from 9 AM – 5PM, but the lower level concourse will not be available for visitors on this day due to the set up for the annual Night at the Museum Gala and Auction. We apologize for any inconvenience. Our NEW fall layout of the buses will be put back in late on Wednesday evening and can be viewed on Thursday.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Just a reminder that MUSEUM DAY with the Smithsonian is fast approaching--did you get your free ticket yet? If not, please go to http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/admission.html to fill out the form and you can also find out all the Museums that are involved. The AACA Auto Museum (of which we are a part) is included (you can click on FIND A VENUE and type in 161 Museum Drive, Hershey, PA 17033 to find it). If you are already a member of our Museum, you just have to show your membership card to get into the Museum for free. However, if you are not yet member of our Museum--you can get a free pass for Saturday, September 26, 2009. Don't forget!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Well--ballots are in the mail--hopefully all of you who are members have received yours. If you are not a member, please consider joining now and visit our Membership Page on our website (http://www.busmuseum.org/Membership.html).

We are excited about our new layout for our buses and hoping that you all will be able to attend the Annual Meeting and view the new display.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The ROBOT BUS--The Bus with the Mechanical Brain!

This is a first for me--looking around on the internet for something new to write about, I discovered this item: From Woodhaven Metal Stamping Co., Brooklyn NY, USA. A 1950 Tin-litho ROBOT BUS, Model #300. It's their interpretation of a transit bus of the era. It was also made in an "Airport Bus" edition. Notes passenger capacity, standees and even shows a farebox next to the driver. Rich, bright colors. This coach measures over 14 inches long. It has a clockwork mechanism and black rubber tires. Winding key is permanently attached.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Continuing my blogging on the Negro Leagues Baseball teams....there were many, many teams--Ohio having the most. Here is a list of the Pennsylvania teams:

Harrisburg Giants

Hilldale Giants

Homestead Grays (see photo taken in 1939)

Philadelphia Pythians

Philadelphia Stars

Philadelphia Tigers

Pittsburgh Crawfords

Monday, September 14, 2009

PENNSYLVANIA’S SCHOOL BUS STOPPING LAW

-- When you meet or overtake a stopped school bus with red signal lights flashing and stop arm extended, you MUST STOP.

-- When you approach an inter section where a school bus is stopped with red signal lights flashing and stop arm extended, you MUST STOP.

-- You MUST STOP at least ten (10) feet away from the school bus.

-- You MUST WAIT until the red lights have stopped flashing and the stop arm has been withdrawn before moving.

-- DO NOT MOVE until all the children have reached a place of safety.

PENALTIES

If you are convicted of violating Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law, you will receive all of the following penalties:

-- 60-Day Driver’s License Suspension

-- Five (5) points on your driving record

-- $250 Fine

Annually, over 1,000 motorists do not obey the School Bus Stopping Law.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

As I mentioned yesterday, we have been working closely with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO, to help them identify the buses that their teams used. Many of their team photos were taken in front of the bus they used (that tells you how important bus transportation was to them).

Another bus we were able to identify is this one of the Birmingham Black Barons, however, there was not enough of the bus showing in the photograph to identify the year. But by the windows, we were able to identify it as a Flxible. The photograph was taken in 1950.

Here's a little more of the history of the Negro Leagues Baseball clubs: In 1945, Major League Baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers recruited Jackie Robinson from the Kansas City Monarchs. Robinson became the first African-American in the modern era to play on a Major League roster. While this historic event was a key moment in baseball and civil rights history, it prompted the decline of the Negro Leagues. The best black players were then recruited for the Major Leagues, and black fans followed. The last Negro Leagues teams folded in the early 1960s, but their legacy lives on through the surviving players and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

As summer draws to a close, baseball season is winding down, we have been doing research on the buses used by the Negro Leagues Baseball Teams. Here is a great picture supplied to us by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, located in Kansas City, MO.

African-Americans began to play baseball in the late 1800s on military teams, college teams, and company teams. They eventually found their way to professional teams with white players. Moses Fleetwood Walker and Bud Fowler were among the first to participate. However, racism and “Jim Crow” laws would force them from these teams by 1900. Thus, black players formed their own units, “barnstorming” around the country to play anyone who would challenge them. And how did they "barnstorm" around the country--ON A BUS!

In 1920, an organized league structure was formed under the guidance of Andrew “Rube” Foster—a former player, manager, and owner for the Chicago American Giants. In a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City, Mo., Foster and a few other Midwestern team owners joined to form the Negro National League. Soon, rival leagues formed in Eastern and Southern states, bringing the thrills and innovative play of black baseball to major urban centers and rural country sides in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. The Leagues maintained a high level of professional skill and became centerpieces for economic development in many black communities.

I'll blog more about this in the future--but wanted to share this great photograph of the Pittsburgh Crawfords lined up in front of their bus, a 1932 Mack bus on a school bus chassis

Friday, September 11, 2009

PLEASE FLY YOUR FLAG TODAY - Take a minute today to pause and remember those we lost on September 11, 2001. I, personally, lost a school mate - NY City Fire Department Chief Pete Ganci graduated from Farmingdale High School with me. Also, I am blessed to have a friend who was able to walk down 43 flights of stairs that day and LIVE! However, he continues to live with the nightmares of that day and thoughts of why he was saved and others weren't. My nephew lost his girl friend. We pray that this never happens again in our country or anywhere else in the world.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

We will also be featuring our GIFT SHOP during the Annual Bus Day and Meeting - October 31, 2009.

If you haven't been here since last year's Annual Meeting you will see lots of new books - we now carry 20+ titles from Arcadia Publishing. We will also have a book signing for the newly published book by one of our Directors, Oliver Ogden--it is entitled "Fifth Avenue Coach Company - 1885-1960." It is published by Iconografx and will be available for sale in the Gift Shop along with many other new items.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Another thought on the ANNUAL BUS DAY AND MEETING this year--we have decided for those of you who do not want to take the BUS TRIP (which will be buses at Hershey Park and Lancaster), we will be having a work crew at the ANNEX. So bring along your work clothes to change into and you can help work on one of the buses at the Annex. If you only get here one day a year and would like to be a part of the work crew--this is the time to do it!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Wow, here it is the day AFTER Labor Day and it is cool in the Susquehanna Valley--fall is on the horizon.

We are getting ready for the Annual Meeting which will be a little different this year--it is scheduled for SATURDAY, October 31, 2009, and instead of an annual DINNER we will be having an ANNUAL LUNCHEON with our bus trip following the Luncheon.

We certainly hope you will join us--we are in the process of working out the new floor plan and this next season we will be featuring TRANSIT BUSES! So don't miss it! The actual changeover will take place the week of the Car Show so the entire exhibit will be in place for our Annual Meeting.

If you have any questions about the Annual BUS DAY and MEETING, please feel free to email us at thebusmuseum@yahoo.com.

LABOR DAY - Monday, September 7, 2009

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike. Cleveland was also concerned that aligning a US labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair. All 50 US states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parades. Speeches or political demonstrations are more low-key than May 1 Labour Day celebrations in most countries, although events held by labor organizations often feature political themes and appearances by candidates for office, especially in election years. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer recess. Similarly, some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school. However, start dates for schools vary widely, beginning as early as July 24 in urban districts such as Atlanta, Miami, and Los Angeles. In addition, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. The NCAA usually plays their first games the week before Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

A little bus trivia:

A school bus is 19 times safer than a car, six times safer than an airplane.

A new school bus costs approximately $70,000.

Bus drivers have by far the best safety records of any transportation mode.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Where did the word "bus" come from???

According to the Podictionary: In August of 1826 Stanislas Baudry in Nantes, France introduced the idea of public transport to the world. He did it a little bit by accident actually because what he was really trying to do was make it easier for customers to find their way to the public baths he owned and ran as his business.

The idea of giving people a ride was a big success but things didn’t exactly go as planned. The trouble was that everyone kept getting on and off the bus at all the stops between downtown and his bath house. Stanislas was no dope though; he gave up on the public baths and instead began charging a flat fare to ride as far as a passenger wanted to go along the route.

The idea was so popular that people in other places heard about it and within 6 years busses were set up in London, Paris, Bordeaux, and Lyons. Except they weren’t called busses, instead they were called "vehicle for all" which in French was voiture omnibus. In Latin omnis means "all."

According to The Oxford English Dictionary Stanislas Baudry chose the name voiture omnibus because he knew of a local tradesman who was named monsieur Omnès and used the word play Omnès omnibus to publicize his business. You could imagine a plumber named Everett putting up a sign advertising "Everett for everyone." Word travels fast—faster than public transit anyway—and it only took 3 years for the word omnibus to arrive in London. That’s half the time it took the omnibus service to arrive there.

I guess once omnibuses began operating in London, the people riding them could a afford to be a little lazier than they’d been before and so they quickly—in the same year, 1832 according to the OED—began abbreviating omnibus down to bus

Friday, September 4, 2009

As we prepare for the end of summer with the Labor Day Weekend ahead of us, I still want to remind you that many children are already back to school.

Our local volunteer fire company (West Hempfield) has had this sign out front:

School's Open

Kids Go

Buses Stop

Drive CAREFULLY!

I think that says it all!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

We had a very good Board Meeting Tuesday evening. Trying to finalize plans for the Annual Meeting. We received a uniform (including hat) from Vermont Transit Company David Slicer and we hope to eventually purchase a few more mannequins so that these uniforms can be displayed. Right now we have a Wolf Bus Lines uniform on a mannequin right near the Wolf Bus that is on display.

Another item at the meeting was the fact that even though August sales in the gift shop were down compared to last year--we are 10% above where we were last year in total sales for the gift shop--which, in this economy, is EXCELLENT. We are seeing a few more internet sales also and I contribute that to people seeing items discussed on this blog. Thank you.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Sorry, I'm a tad late posting this morning--but had to upload my pics from yesterday. The new vignette with the bus looks terrific! The Auto Museum will be installing a new "LED" sign but until that happens--here's what it looks like.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

I'm happy to report that the new "vignette" at the front of the Museum is up and running! Last Thursday our Ford "crackerbox" bus was moved out there and the Auto Museum already has a vehicle out front. So it is looking very nice. A small retaining wall and some plants and already in place. I'll try to get a picture of it tonight when we go for the Board Meeting.