More than a half-century ago, I discovered George Stewart’s 1953 book, U.S. 40. That landmark publication about pre-Interstate road travel and a slice of American life contained 115 brilliant photographs and about 100 essays about everyday life along what is perhaps the greatest highway in the nation.
Read More

From the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library Blog: Airlines began serving special holiday meals in the late 1930s. Since a meal would be served inflight anyway, why not add a bit of fun and festiveness to the service, especially on days when people would prefer not to fly?
Read More

Last summer, Bob Behounek, a retired sign painter, discovered three ghost signs on wood-siding boards about eight inches in height. Advertisements on this material are rare, usually limited to fences and water tanks atop buildings. The signs were in remarkably fresh condition and exposed when a newer siding was removed as a step in the tear-down of a house built in the 1880s.
Read More

By Heather M. David – Are you a blockhead? From the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, concrete block was mass-produced in the U.S. and very popular. It can be seen in many residences, office buildings, schools, churches, motels, and shopping centers from this period.
Read More

By Edward Engel – Images of roadside cabin courts and teepee-shaped motel rooms shot by honeymooners or vacationing families in the heyday of American tourist travel are among the thousands of “found photos” I own. I hope you enjoyed this sampling of images of motels and the folks that stay in them.
Read More

FULL ARTICLE by Lyell Henry – The tourist camps that had at first been hailed as delightful expressions of American character and genius now were as likely to be viewed as hotbeds of sordidness and immorality, even as “Camps of Crime,” said J. Edgar Hoover.
Read More

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.
Read More

Join SCA board member Tim O’Brien as he recaps the many, many highlights of our summer tour, “The Golden Age of Air Travel.” As you will see, an amazingly good time was had by all.
Read More

By Lyle Miller – The sign beckons you, the building interests you, and the office welcomes you, but the room itself defines most of your motel lodging experience ...
Read More