SOCIETY for

COMMERCIAL

ARCHEOLOGY

Advocates for America’s
Roadside Heritage

SOCIETY for

COMMERCIAL

ARCHEOLOGY

Advocates for America’s
Roadside Heritage

SOCIETY for

COMMERCIAL

ARCHEOLOGY

Advocates for
America’s
Roadside Heritage

On the road since 1977

We invite you to join hundreds of neon lovers, diner fans, history buffs, and roadside explorers.

SCA memberships start at: $55 a year or just $5 a month.

Join UsWhat You Get

Maid of the Mist

SCA’s 48th Annual Conference in Niagara Falls

June 18-June 21

It was a barrel of fun!

RECAP PT 1 RECAP PT 2

On the road since 1997

We invite you to join hundreds of neon lovers, diner fans, history buffs, and roadside explorers.

SCA memberships start at: $55 a year or just $5 a month.
Join UsWhat You Get

Maid of the Mist

SCA’s 48th Annual Conference in Niagara Falls

June 18-June 21

It was a barrel of fun!

RECAP PT 1 RECAP PT 2

SCA EVENTS & MORE

SCA at Larkinville Diner

Dr. Patrick’s Niagara Recap Part 2

Everybody, back on the bus! Part 2 of guide Kevin Patrick’s Niagara Conference recap covers the third day tour of the New York side of the falls. Read Recap
Dr. Patrick’s Niagara Recap Part 1

Dr. Patrick’s Niagara Recap Part 1

Tour guide extraordinaire Kevin Patrick’s idiosyncratic and marvelously detailed recap of SCA’s 48th Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Part 1 covers first day tour of the Canadian side of the falls. Read Recap
<span style="color: red">ZOOM EVENT: </span>Marcia Bricker Halperin: When We All Met at Dubrow's Cafeteria

ZOOM EVENT: Marcia Bricker Halperin: When We All Met at Dubrow’s Cafeteria

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 8:00 pm EDT: Join Marcia Bricker Halperin, a lifelong Brooklynite, who has been photographing the character and landscape of New York City since the 1970s. Her debut book of photographs, Kibbitz & Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow’s Cafeteria, was published by Cornell University Press in the Spring of 2023. More Info | Register
Nevele Grand Hotel, Ellenville

ZOOM RECORDING: Isaac Jeffreys: Hidden Mid Century – Capturing The Borscht Belt at Night

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at 8:00 pm: Join Isaac Jeffreys as he explores the intersection of history, memory, and transformation through photography. A Hudson Valley native and Parsons BFA graduate, Jeffries is drawn to 20th-century spaces—most notably the Mid-century modern ‘Borscht Belt’ resorts of the Catskills. Shooting entirely on film, he lights up long-abandoned buildings after dark, using carefully staged scenes and long exposures to reanimate places left without power—or presence. Watch Video

ZOOM RECORDINGS

ROADSIDE NEWS

UPDATED! THE JIM SEELEN MOTEL IMAGES COLLECTION

20,000 MOTELS

SCA member Jim “Motel King” Seelen’s motel images collection is now part of our library. This database contains more than 23,000 images with details on more than 20,000 (21,507 to be exact) motels that once operated in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

View Database

SCA ARTICLES

<span style="color: red">GALLERY:</span> SCA’s 48th Annual Conference in Niagara Falls

GALLERY: SCA’s 48th Annual Conference in Niagara Falls

The SCA welcomed more than 80 guests to its first international conference in the roadside mecca of Niagara Falls. Featuring tours of both the American and Canadian roadside, we explored all kinds of crazy SCA attractions, took a drenching ride under Horseshoe Falls, hosted a fascinating paper symposium, and enjoyed great food and great company. It was a barrel of fun! See Photos
<span style="color: red">EDITOR’S WORD: </span>The SCA Goes International to get Wet ’n Wild at Niagara Falls

EDITOR’S WORD: The SCA Goes International to get Wet ’n Wild at Niagara Falls

By Douglas Towne: In the 1890s, Americans and Canadians had different development aspirations for their respective cities divided by the Niagara River. With its grander vistas of the three cascading waters, Horseshoe Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and American Falls, Canadians viewed it as a natural wonder and created a vacation destination. In contrast, Americans considered hydropower generation the most critical asset and focused more on harnessing these water sources to fuel industry.
<span style="color: red">JOURNAL SNEAK PEEK:</span> The River Attractions of Niagara Falls

JOURNAL SNEAK PEEK: The River Attractions of Niagara Falls

By Peter Glaser: In the lead-up to 2025’s SCA conference in Niagara Falls, Canada (but with a day spent on the American side), this article explores the classic river attractions at the Falls and along the Niagara River. While some of these charms pre-date the automobile era, they prospered with its arrival and remain largely unchanged today.
<span style="color: red">JOURNAL: </span>Lost Photos, Found Memories: Niagara Falls

JOURNAL: Lost Photos, Found Memories: Niagara Falls

By Edward Engel: In anticipation of us making our own memories at this June’s SCA Conference, presented here are a baker’s dozen of vintage Niagara Falls vacation photos from the SCA Journal series, “Lost Photos, Found Memories.”
Diner of Tomorrow Thumb

JOURNAL SNEAK PEEK: The Diner of Tomorrow…Today!

By Richard J. S. Gutman: In this article, the leading authority on the history and architecture of diners, Richard Gutman, details and comments upon his research and several of the more than 1,000 items he has collected and which are now part of the The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan.
<del>Five</del> Seven Faves: Nashville’s Neon Canyon

Five Seven Faves: Nashville’s Neon Canyon

Signs, signs, everywhere there are signs. Like most hip and creative U.S. communities, Nashville, aka Music City, has an almost embarrassing treasure of colorful and imaginative signage of all ilk and sizes.

Dr. Patrick’s Postcard Roadside

SCA at Larkinville Diner

Dr. Patrick’s Niagara Recap Part 2

Everybody, back on the bus! Part 2 of guide Kevin Patrick’s Niagara Conference recap covers the third day tour of the New York side of the falls. Read Recap
Dr. Patrick’s Niagara Recap Part 1

Dr. Patrick’s Niagara Recap Part 1

Tour guide extraordinaire Kevin Patrick’s idiosyncratic and marvelously detailed recap of SCA’s 48th Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Part 1 covers first day tour of the Canadian side of the falls. Read Recap
Blue and White Restaurant, Warren, Pennsylvania, vintage postcard

DR. PATRICK’S POSTCARD ROADSIDE: The Blue and White Restaurant

Constantine Spiridon and his two brothers opened the Blue and White Restaurant at 211 Liberty Street in downtown Warren, PA, in 1925. It was one and a half blocks north of US 6, certainly the coast-to-coast reference on this postcard showing its 1937 Art Moderne remodel.

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