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
Photo: Vintage Wisconsin Dells
Celebrating the signs, structures and experiences of the 20th-century American roadscape.
The SCA is a member-supported organization. Join now and gain exclusive access to a full calendar of live and virtural events, subscriptions to the SCA Journal and Road Notes, password access to full-text articles on this website, member pricing at our conferences, free downloads and more. And the adventure continues on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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SHARE THE TRIP WITH A GIFT MEMBERSHIP
Only $55 a year – or just $40 for students!
Celebrating the signs, structures and experiences of the 20th-century American roadscape.
The SCA is a member-supported organization. Join now and gain exclusive access to a full calendar of live and virtural events, subscriptions to the SCA Journal and Road Notes, password access to full-text articles on this website and more!
Join Now
SHARE THE TRIP WITH A GIFT MEMBERSHIP
Only $55 a year – or just $40 for students!
Upcoming Events
ZOOM EVENT: “Holiday on the Roadside”
Join the SCA as we explore the roadside holiday spirit on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 8pm EST with Mary Ann Michna, Michael Hirsch and Nichole Christine Edwards.
Learn More / Register
Learn More / Register
RESCHEDULED: Summer Tour
PLEASE NOTE: Our marvelous mid-century weekend in Queens, New York, sponsored by the Society for Commercial Archeology and co-host Retro Roadmap, has been postponed to 2021 (at the earliest) due the COVID-19 crisis. Please see details.
Learn More / Register
Learn More / Register
News
SCA Weekly News Review: November 22, 2020
What do a bridge, a silo, a sign, some shoes and a duck have in common?
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ZOOM EVENT: Rick Kilby’s “From Mesmerizing Mermaids to Water-skiing Elephants”
In this ZOOM presentation recorded November 11, 2020, Rick Kilby discussed Florida’s pre-Disney era, where places like Rainbow, Silver, and Weeki Wachee Springs evolved to try to separate these visitors from their wallets.
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NEW! THE JIM SEELEN MOTEL IMAGES COLLECTION
14,000 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 14,000 motels that once operated in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
NEW! THE JIM SEELEN MOTEL IMAGES COLLECTION
14,000 MOTELS
SCA member Jim “Motel King” Seelen’s motel images collection is part of our library. This database contains more than 23,000 images with details on more than 14,000 motels that once operated in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Articles
Reading List: Race, Architecture and Travel
This fascinating reading list, a mixture of academic journals, books, and newspaper articles curated by SCA board members Kimberly Ellis and Irene Lule, introduces us to a range of work on the related topics of race, architecture, and travel.
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Living at the Motel
FULL ARTICLE by Elsa Court – The increase in the urban population combined with the stagnation of wages in the service industry have made it more likely for middle-class households resort to using budget motel rooms as semi-permanent accommodation.
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The Atomic Roadside
By Douglas Towne – Las Vegas knows how to throw a party like no other. But no matter how cutting-edge Sin City soirees are today, there's no competing with the fiery bashes the city held in the 1950s.
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Revisiting: Boring Postcards
In 2005, we published a short book review of Boring Postcards, by photographer Martin Parr. The original review is reposted here. But before taking the short trip back, it would be worth your time to take detour into Parr’s full oeuvre.
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Q&A: Alison Isenberg on Downtown America
As part of our commitment to exploration of the scholarly history of the American roadside as it relates to issues of race, class and gender, we proudly present this Q&A with Alison Isenberg, author of Downtown America.
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Q&A: Victoria Wolcott on Race, Riots, and Rollercoasters
The SCA is building a list of academic works focused on the intersection of American culture and the American roadside. To kick things off, we invited Victoria W. Wolcott, Professor of History at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, to answer a few questions about her book, Race, Riots, and Rollercoasters.
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SCA Journal Back Issues | SCA Road Notes Back Issues
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The Society for Commercial Archeology is an all-volunteer road-tripping organization fueled entirely by your support.
Standard and donation-level memberships available