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
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 in-person and online events, recordings, subscriptions to the SCA Journal and Road Notes, full-text access to our website, free downloads and more!
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The Bedside Roadside
Join us on our journey back in time as we republish roadside book reviews from 45 years of SCA Journals.
New old reviews published weekly
On the Road Since 1977
Celebrating the signs, structures and experiences of the 20th-century American roadscape.
Join now and gain exclusive access to live and virtual events, the SCA Journal and Road Notes, and lots more.
Join Now
The Bedside Roadside
Join us on our journey back in time as we republish roadside book reviews from 45 years of SCA Journals.
New old reviews published weekly
Upcoming Events
RESCHEDULED: Larry Cultrera: From Lunch Carts to Mega-Restaurants: The Evolution of the American Diner
An SCA Zoom Event: Join archivist, photographer and writer Larry Cultrera on June 1, 2022 @ 7:00PM Eastern as he tells the illustrated story of the evolution of the American diner.
Learn More / Register
Learn More / Register
IT’S ON! SCA 2022 Summer Tour
Our marvelous mid-century weekend in Queens, New York, sponsored by the Society for Commercial Archeology and co-host Retro Roadmap, is back on schedule. Cocktails and tours start June 17, 2022. See details.
Learn More / Register
Learn More / Register
Zoom Recordings
News
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
Route 66: Another Perspective on “Mother” Road
A new public history project, The Women on the Mother Road: Route 66, sheds light on women’s experiences along the historic highway.
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Miss Alma Makes a Bee Line: A Story of One Woman and Two Auto Trails
By John and Kris Murphey – As the first female transcontinental highway booster, Alma Rittenberry had promoted her Jackson Highway not only as a memorial to the former President nicknamed “Old Hickory,” but as a progressive path to get farmers out of the mud and a source of “financial and cultural gain” for the North and South.
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Common Ground: Landscape Mosaics at the Wisconsin State Office Building in Milwaukee
By Lillian Sizemore – Professor Marjorie Kreilick-McNab’s suite of 10 hand-cut modern mosaic murals for the Wisconsin State Office Building in Milwaukee deserve landmark designation and historic preservation.
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YESCO Says “Yes” to Relighting Idaho’s Panida Theater
By Doug Jones: After a period of more than 18 months, the Panida Theater comes out of the darkness, looking forward to a brighter future and its continuing promise of quality performance in north Idaho.
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Lunch is Still Being Served at Woolworth’s in Bakersfield
By Rolando Pujol: Woolworth’s went bust in 1997. However, there is a place in America where you can still walk into a Woolworth’s building with all of its original signage and order a burger and shake at a fully functioning, original Woolworth’s luncheonette, complete with chrome counter and red vinyl seating.
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Ephemera: Harnessing Buffalo
The image-makers of Buffalo didn’t let natural history interfere with excellent branding potential, particularly for the Pan American Exposition of 1901.
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DOWNLOAD/BUY
SCA Journal Back Issues | SCA Road Notes Back Issues
Dr. Patrick’s
Postcard Roadside
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.
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DR. PATRICK’S POSTCARD ROADSIDE: Gary’s Duck Inn
Gary Starling built his Duck Inn on the Orange Blossom Trail, marked out as the main tourist highway through central Florida in 1934.
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DR. PATRICK’S POSTCARD ROADSIDE: Mammoth Cave vs. Great Onyx Cave
When Mammoth Cave National Park was established in 1941, Great Onyx Cave, three miles from the entrance to Mammoth Cave, was not included, its owners continuing to operate the show cave in competition with Mammoth.
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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