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.
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
SCA’s 48th Annual Conference in Niagara Falls
June 18-June 21
A guaranteed barrel of fun!
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
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
SCA’s 48th Annual Conference in Niagara Falls
June 18-June 21
A guaranteed barrel of fun!
SCA EVENTS & MORE
ZOOM RECORDING: Looking Back at the Future: Photographing Vintage Leftovers of New York’s World’s Fairs with Gloria R. Nash
Recorded, April 16, 2025: When Gloria Nash was a “‘tween,” she was a frequent visitor to the 1964-1965 Fair, held at the same site as the 1939-1940 Fair. After fifty years Gloria returned to the Fairgrounds in search of artifacts. While organizers designated both Fairs as failures, the public views them as a source of joy and with a growing popularity. Watch Recording
REGISTER TODAY: SCA’s 48th Annual Conference in Niagara Falls
Join us from Wednesday, June 18 - Saturday, June 21 for the SCA’s first international conference in the roadside mecca of Niagara Falls. We’ll tour both the American and Canadian roadside. Explore all kinds of crazy SCA attractions. And host a fascinating paper symposium. We guarantee a barrel of fun! Details | Register Now
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS 2025 SCA Conference at Niagara Falls
The Society for Commercial Archeology seeks proposals for its Niagara conference day of presentations on Friday, June 20, 2025. The SCA welcomes proposals from presenters eager to share their investigations into the history and architecture of the American roadside with a diverse audience of preservationists, stewards, academics, writers, photographers, and others. Learn More / Submit Proposal
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.
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.
SCA ARTICLES
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.
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.
Lost Photos Found Memories: Amusement Parks
Here are some of the amusement or theme park photos I’ve collected over the last ten years. Unidentified locations may be smaller venues such as carnivals or fairs. For those unknown images, email edwardengel@yahoo.com with any clues to identification.
Brownie Camera Beginnings: The Roadside Art of Mary Anne Erickson
Hudson Valley resident Mary Anne Erickson combines her passion for color, beauty, design, and fine taste in documenting the demise of the American roadside culture of “Mom and Pop” establishments.
Gas, Food & Lodging: Fuel for Bertrand Goldberg’s Futuristic Architecture
A common criticism of roadside buildings is that, from an architectural perspective, they’re not impressive creations. That statement, however, is not always valid. Bertrand “Bud” Goldberg is a fascinating example of a famed architect who initially displayed considerable design talents in small-scale commercial structures.
Manning’s: The First Coffee Empire to Emerge from Seattle
FULL ARTICLE by Tracey Pemberton and Mike Elmore – In 1908, an elaborate advertisement rose above the others at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Protruding outward from the top of the stall and looming over the heads of shoppers, the Manning brothers promised “Coffee Served Hot,” with small cups of coffee that cost just 2¢ and large cups priced at 4¢. An empire was born.
DOWNLOAD/BUY
SCA Journal Back Issues | SCA Road Notes Back Issues
Dr. Patrick’s Postcard Roadside
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.
DR. PATRICK’S POSTCARD ROADSIDE: New York City’s West Side Piers
A circa-1960 postcard shows New York City’s Transatlantic Steamship Terminal in the Hudson River between 44th and 54th streets ...
DR. PATRICK’S POSTCARD ROADSIDE: Cedar Tourist Court
Westward across the plains of Kansas, US 40 originally split at Manhattan with the south branch following the Victory Highway through Salina (current US 40), and the north branch following the Midland Trail through Clay Center.
No ads. Which is kind of ironic, given what we’re into.
The Society for Commercial Archeology is an all-volunteer road-tripping organization fueled entirely by your support.
Standard and donation-level memberships available