SOCIETY for
COMMERCIAL
ARCHEOLOGY
Advocates for America’s
Roadside Heritage
Join Kevin Patrick for SCA’s 2019 conference and tour through the “Wacky Wisconsin Dells”
Conference Details | Call for Papers
SOCIETY for
COMMERCIAL
ARCHEOLOGY
Advocates for
America’s
Roadside Heritage
Join Kevin Patrick for SCA’s 2019 conference and tour through the “Wacky Wisconsin Dells”
Conference Details | Call for Papers
SOCIETY for
COMMERCIAL
ARCHEOLOGY
Advocates for
America’s
Roadside Heritage
Join Kevin Patrick for SCA’s 2019 conference and tour through the “Wacky Wisconsin Dells”
Conference DetailsRegister
Call for Papers
The SCA is the oldest national organization devoted to the signs, structures and experiences of the 20th-century American roadscape.
Join us and get all these benefits:
Exclusive access to our pop-up events, subscriptions to the prestigious SCA Journal and SCA Road Notes (including free digital downloads), password access to the full text of all articles published to this website, member pricing and invitations to our annual conference and caravan – plus the good feeling that comes with being a part of a great cause. All for just $45 annually ($35 for students).
See what we do, subscribe to our free email newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
This fall, SCA members enjoyed an exclusive hard hat tour of Eero Saarinen’s 1962 masterpiece, the TWA terminal at JFK, soon to be the TWA Hotel. Where are we going next? See upcoming events.
The SCA is the oldest national organization devoted to the signs, structures and experiences of the 20th-century American roadscape.
Join us and get all these benefits:
Exclusive access to our pop-up events, subscriptions to the prestigious SCA Journal and SCA Road Notes (including free digital downloads), password access to the full text of all articles published to this website, member pricing and invitations to our annual conference and caravan – plus the good feeling that comes with being a part of a great cause. All for just $45 annually ($35 for students).
See what we do, subscribe to our free email newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Upcoming Events
Conference: Preserving the Recent Past 3 + SCA Affiliate Session
March 13-16, 2019: We invite you to join us at the upcoming PRP3 conference in Los Angeles. SCA is a Cooperating Partner, and will be hosting an Affiliate Session – “Leaping Muffler Men in a Single Bound: Getting to Know SCA and America’s Roadside Heritage.” Lunch and prizes!
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Albany 30th Anniversary Pop-Up Tour
May 18, 2019: Join the Society for Commercial Archeology for a free members-only pop-up event in Albany, New York on May 18, 2019, as we retrace (more or less) our 1989 tour. Using the original program as our guide, we will hop in our cars, connect via cell phone, and see what is still there, what
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Wacky Wisconsin – SCA’s 42nd Annual Conference
Join us for “Wacky Wisconsin” – SCA’s 42nd Annual Conference. The event will bring together roadside enthusiasts, historic preservationists, and academic scholars interested in commercial roadside artifacts. Conference details. Call for papers.
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Journal and Road Notes
A Retro Magic Carpet Ride
FULL ARTICLE by Douglas Towne – For most of the 20th century, the Near East captivated Americans, its influence extending coast to coast. Countless owners of motels, restaurants and nightclubs bet their economic futures that naming their business after elements of this region would bring success.
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Thar’s Gold In Them Foothills!
FULL ARTICLE by Michelle Begay – After World War II, the motel evolved into something not seen before in American life – a self-contained roadside oasis. The Foothills Motel complex exemplified the major shift in the middle-class pursuit of recreation and leisure.
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Green Gable Cabin Camps
By Lyell Henry – In spite of the depressed national economy, the late 1920s and the very early 1930s were good years for tourist camp start-ups. In this SCA classic article from 2013, Lyell Henry makes the case that the now forgotten Green Gable Cabin Camps came closer to the franchising practices that became commonplace after World War II than any other chain.
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Tonopah, Nevada Clowns Around with the American Psyche
By Elsa Court – A Facebook mention about an article on Tonopah, Nevada and its Clown Motel in the Fall 2018 SCA Journal really hit a primal nerve, generating more engagement and attracting more shares than almost any previous post. Here's the article.
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SCA Journal Back Issues | SCA Road Notes Back Issues
News
SCA Weekly News: Feb 17, 2019
From ”Heart Bombing” to historic theaters to a secret history that has now become an important tourist attraction, SCA VP Jeremy Ebersole takes us on a fascinating roadside tour of America via five preservation-centric news items.
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SCA Weekly News: Feb 10, 2019
This week's news includes stories of the sad end of an Arizona classic, the happy reopening of a Northampton landmark, an effort to "re-neonize" Havana and a bonus article on an historic filling station on Maui. Let’s go!
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SCA Weekly News: Feb 3, 2019
This week’s news update courtesy of Mr. Allentown himself, SCA president Michael Hirsch.
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SCA Weekly News: Jan 27, 2019
Emily Taggart Schricker searches sources for stories on sports signs, spurs, banana swag and other seriously splendid roadside stuff.
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SCA Welcomes Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Veteran Tim O’Brien to its Board of Directors
The Society for Commercial Archeology is thrilled (amazed, astonished, astounded ...) to welcome Tim O’Brien, recently VP of Communications for Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
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Road Trips
From the Black Hills to the Jersey Shore, with stops at every diner in between, our conferences, caravans and pop-ups are the stuff of legend! Join us on our next adventure.
Upcoming EventsJournal & Web
In addition to our conferences, caravans and pop-up events, SCA benefits include the prestigious SCA Journal, SCA Road Notes, and password access to member-only content on our website.
Join the SCAGet Published
The SCA offers quality publication opportunities for preservation professionals, academics, authors, independent scholars and enthusiasts. We can’t wait to publish you!
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