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102-638: The bridge was opened in January 1975, replacing an older span upstream that once carried the Lincoln Highway , U.S. Route 30 .) In 1982, Iowa DOT announced that it would be removing a 20 cent toll from the Gateway Bridge and the Mark Morris bridge beginning January 1983. Iowa and Illinois agreed to split responsibility for the maintenance of the two bridges with Iowa maintaining the Mark Morris bridge and Illinois

204-531: A trail association rather than for their value as a route between significant locations. By 1925 governments had joined the roadbuilding movement, and began to assert control. Federal and state officials established the Joint Board on Interstate Highways, which proposed a numbered U.S. Highway System which would make the trail designations obsolete, though technically the Joint Board had no authority over highway names. Increasing government support for roadbuilding

306-485: A $ 130,000 contribution by United States Rubber Company president and LHA founder C.B. Seger, the ideal section was built during 1922 and 1923. Magazines and newspapers called the ideal section a vision of the future, and highway officials from across the country visited and wrote technical papers that circulated both in the United States and overseas. The ideal section is still in use to this day, and has worn so well that

408-632: A 12-foot (3.7 m) statue of Abraham Lincoln. Subscriptions for the project were insufficient. The matter lay dormant until the start of the 20th century, when, under the leadership of Senator Shelby M. Cullom of Illinois , six separate bills were introduced in Congress for the incorporation of a new memorial commission. The first five bills, proposed in the years 1901, 1902, and 1908, met with defeat because of opposition from Speaker Joe Cannon . The sixth bill (Senate Bill 9449), introduced on December 13, 1910, passed. The Lincoln Memorial Commission met for

510-557: A bridge in Illinois is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a bridge in Iowa is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is one of the first transcontinental highways in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher , and formally dedicated October 31, 1913,

612-493: A carved scroll regularly interspersed with projecting lions' heads and ornamented with palmetto cresting along the upper edge. Above this on the attic frieze are inscribed the names of the 48 states present at the time of the Memorial's dedication. A bit higher is a garland joined by ribbons and palm leaves, supported by the wings of eagles. All ornamentation on the friezes and cornices was done by Ernest C. Bairstow . The Memorial

714-561: A chapter to it ("Through Darkest America With Truck and Tank") in his 1967 book At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends (Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1967). "The trip had been difficult, tiring and fun," he said. That 1919 experience on the Lincoln Highway, and his exposure to the autobahn network in Germany in the 1940s, found expression in 1954 when he announced his "Grand Plan" for highways. The resulting Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 created

816-546: A coast-to-coast rock highway to be completed by May 1, 1915, in time for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. He estimated the cost at about $ 10 million and told the group, "Let's build it before we're too old to enjoy it!" Within a month Fisher's friends had pledged $ 1 million. Henry Ford , the biggest automaker of his day, refused to contribute because he believed

918-731: A driver would not notice it unless the marker near the road brought it to their attention. By the mid-1920s there were about 250 national auto trails . Some were major routes, such as the Lincoln Highway, the Jefferson Highway , the Dixie Highway , the National Old Trails Road , the Old Spanish Trail , and the Yellowstone Trail , but most were shorter. Some of the shorter routes were formed more to generate revenues for

1020-512: A few weeks later on September 14, 1913, the route was announced. LHA leaders, particularly Packard president Henry Joy , wanted as straight a route as possible and the 3,389-mile (5,454 km) route announced did not necessarily follow the course of the Trail-Blazers. There were many disappointed town officials, particularly in Colorado and Kansas , who had greeted the Trail-Blazers and thought

1122-471: A fitting national memorial had been voiced since the time of Lincoln's death. In 1867, Congress passed the first of many bills incorporating a commission to erect a monument for the sixteenth president. An American sculptor, Clark Mills , was chosen to design the monument. His plans reflected the nationalistic spirit of the time and called for a 70-foot (21 m) structure adorned with six equestrian and 31 pedestrian statues of colossal proportions, crowned by

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1224-535: A key scene the statue and the Memorial's inscription provide inspiration to freshman Senator Jefferson Smith, played by James Stewart . The Park Service did not want Capra to film at the Memorial, so he sent a large crew elsewhere as a distraction while a smaller crew filmed Stewart and Jean Arthur inside the Memorial. Many of the appearances of the Lincoln Memorial are actually digital visual effects , due to restrictive filming rules. As of 2017, according to

1326-446: A more northerly route toward Pocatello, Idaho. When US 50 was extended to California it followed the Lincoln Highway's alternate route south of Lake Tahoe. The last major promotional activity of the LHA took place on September 1, 1928, when at 1:00 p.m. groups of Boy Scouts placed approximately 2,400 concrete markers at sites along the route to officially mark and dedicate it to

1428-640: A nationwide radio audience. On June 29, 1947, Harry Truman became the first president to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The speech took place at the Lincoln Memorial during the NAACP convention and was carried nationally on radio. In that speech, Truman laid out the need to end discrimination, which would be advanced by the first comprehensive, presidentially proposed civil rights legislation. On August 28, 1963,

1530-589: A simple log cabin shrine. The site too did not go unopposed. The recently reclaimed land in West Potomac Park was seen by many as either too swampy or too inaccessible. Other sites, such as Washington Union Station , were put forth, but the commission stood firm in its recommendation, feeling that the Potomac Park location, situated on the axis connecting the Washington Monument and Capitol , overlooking

1632-526: A subtle touch that associates the statue with the Augustan (and imperial) theme (obelisk and funerary monuments) of the Washington Mall. The statue is discretely bordered by two pilasters, one on each side. Between these pilasters, and above Lincoln's head, is engraved an epitaph of Lincoln by Royal Cortissoz . It is important to note that regardless of the aforementioned design intent of the "Roman" fasces,

1734-461: A team. He can see you 20 miles off". Later editions omitted Mr. Thomas, but westbound travelers were advised to stop at the Orr's Ranch for advice, and eastbound motorists were to check with Mr. K.C. Davis of Gold Hill, Nevada. The Lincoln Highway Association did not have enough funds to sponsor large sections of the road, but from 1914 it did sponsor "seedling mile" projects. According to the 1924 LHA Guide

1836-538: A year after the 25th anniversary in 1939, having lost most of his fortune as a result of the great hurricane that slammed Miami Beach in 1928, followed by the Great Depression at the same time that he was pouring millions of dollars into his Montauk Long Island resort development. On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 , authorizing the construction of

1938-540: Is anchored in a concrete foundation, 44 to 66 feet (13 to 20 m) in depth, constructed by M. F. Comer and Company and the National Foundation and Engineering Company, and is encompassed by a 187-by-257-foot (57 by 78 m) rectangular granite retaining wall measuring 14 feet (4.3 m) in height. Leading up to the shrine on the east side are the main steps. Beginning at the edge of the Reflecting Pool ,

2040-518: Is considered historical by the National Park Service . During the 1970s and 1980s, there were regular tours of the undercroft. The tours stopped abruptly in 1989 after a visitor noticed asbestos and notified the Service. Due to water seeping through the calcium carbonate within the marble, over time stalactites and stalagmites have formed within it. For the memorial's centennial in 2022,

2142-493: Is not clear that sculptor Daniel Chester French intended Lincoln's hands to be formed into sign language versions of his initials, it is possible that French did intend it. French was familiar with American Sign Language , and he would have had a reason to do so, to pay tribute to Lincoln for having signed the federal legislation giving Gallaudet University , a university for the deaf, the authority to grant college degrees. The National Geographic Society 's publication "Pinpointing

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2244-546: Is replete with symbolic elements. The 36 columns represent the states of the Union at the time of Lincoln's death ; the 48 stone festoons above the columns represent the 48 states in 1922. Inside, each inscription is surmounted by a 60-by-12-foot (18.3 by 3.7 m) mural by Jules Guerin portraying principles seen as evident in Lincoln's life: Freedom, Liberty, Morality, Justice, and the Law on

2346-667: The Highway Trust Fund that accelerated construction of the Interstate Highway System . Fisher's idea that the auto industry and private contributions could pay for the highway was soon abandoned, and, while the LHA did help finance a few short sections of roadway, LHA founders' and members' contributions were used primarily for publicity and promotion to encourage travel on the Highway and to lobby officials at all levels to support its construction by governments. According to

2448-636: The Interstate Highway System . The New York-to-San Francisco transcontinental route in the system, Interstate 80 , would however largely follow a different path across the country than US 30. I-80 would also not be signed all the way to the New York City, instead terminating in Teaneck, New Jersey , west of the Hudson River just a few miles short of the George Washington Bridge . In the years since,

2550-404: The National Park Service , "Filming/photography is prohibited above the white marble steps and the interior chamber of the Lincoln Memorial." Mitchell Newton-Matza said in 2016 that "Reflecting its cherished place in the hearts of Americans, the Lincoln Memorial has often been featured prominently in popular culture, especially motion pictures." According to Tracey Gold Bennett, "The majesty of

2652-573: The Potomac River and surrounded by open land, was ideal. Furthermore, the Potomac Park site was already designated in the McMillan Plan of 1901 to be the location of a future monument comparable to that of the Washington Monument. With Congressional approval and a $ 300,000 allocation, the project got underway. On February 12, 1914, contractor M. F. Comer of Toledo, Ohio; resident member of

2754-651: The United States Numbered Highways system of 1926. Most of the 1928 Lincoln Highway route became U.S. Route 30 (US 30), with portions becoming US 1 in the East and US 40 , US 50 and US 93 in the West. Most significantly, the Lincoln Highway inspired the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 , also known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act (Public Law 84-627), which

2856-463: The 13 states along the route. During a dedication ceremony in Iowa, State Engineer Thomas H. MacDonald said he felt it was "... the first outlet for the road building energies of this community". He went on to advocate the creation of a system of transcontinental highways with radial routes. In 1919, MacDonald became Commissioner of the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR), a post he held until 1953, when he oversaw

2958-518: The 1928–1930 route. Most of U.S. Route 30 from Philadelphia to western Wyoming, portions of Interstate 80 in the western United States, most of U.S. Route 50 in Nevada and California, and most of old decommissioned U.S. Route 40 in California are alignments of the Lincoln Highway. The final (1928–1930) alignment of the Lincoln Highway corresponds roughly to the following roads: The Lincoln Highway

3060-563: The African-American contralto Marian Anderson to perform before an integrated audience at the organization's Constitution Hall . At the suggestion of Eleanor Roosevelt , the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt , Harold L. Ickes , the Secretary of the Interior, arranged for a performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday of that year, to a live audience of 75,000 and

3162-649: The American people. Lincoln's only surviving son, 78-year-old Robert Todd Lincoln , was in attendance. Prominent African Americans were invited to the event and discovered upon arrival they were assigned a segregated section guarded by U.S. Marines . The Memorial has become a symbolically sacred venue, especially for the Civil Rights Movement. In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow

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3264-660: The Association's 1916 Official Road Guide a trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific on the Lincoln Highway was "something of a sporting proposition" and might take 20 to 30 days. To make it in 30 days the motorist would need to average 18 miles (29 km) an hour for 6 hours per day, and driving was only done during daylight hours. The trip was thought to cost no more than $ 5 a day per person, including food, gas, oil, and even "five or six meals in hotels". Car repairs would, of course, increase

3366-566: The Gateway bridge. The older span was originally built in 1891 with a wooden deck; this was replaced in 1933 with a metal grate to allow snow to melt through. When the renovation was completed the bridge fathers held a grand ceremony during which a 19-year-old Cedar Rapids high dive artist, Walter W. Simon, dove from the 100-foot (30 m) high span into the Mississippi River. He was paid $ 1.00 per foot for this stunt. This article about

3468-454: The LHA organized a design plan for a road section that could handle traffic 20 years into the future. Seventeen highway experts met between December 1920 and February 1921, and specified: The most famous seedling mile built to these specifications was the 1.3-mile (2.1 km) "ideal section" between Dyer and Schererville in Lake County, Indiana . With federal, state, and county funds, and

3570-510: The LHA was more interested in the larger plan for roadbuilding than they were in officially retaining the name. They knew the Lincoln Highway name was fixed in the mind of the public, and James promised them that, so far as possible, the Lincoln Highway would have the number 30 for its entire route. An editorial in the February 1926 issue of The Lincoln Highway Forum reflected the outcome: The Lincoln Highway Association would have liked to have seen

3672-424: The Lincoln Highway designated as a United States route entirely across the continent and designated by a single numeral throughout its length. But it realized that this was only a sentimental consideration. ... The Lincoln Way is too firmly established upon the map of the United States and in the minds and hearts of the people as a great, useful and everlasting memorial to Abraham Lincoln to warrant any skepticism as to

3774-548: The Lincoln Highway has remained a persistent memory: Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial that honors the 16th president of the United States , Abraham Lincoln . An example of neoclassicism , it is in the form of a classical temple and is located at the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Henry Bacon is the memorial's architect and Daniel Chester French designed

3876-536: The Lincoln Highway in 1938. On June 8, 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1938, which called for a BPR report on the feasibility of a system of transcontinental toll roads. The "Toll Roads and Free Roads" report was the first official step toward creation of the Interstate Highway System in the United States. The 25th Anniversary of the Lincoln Highway

3978-468: The Lincoln Highway name had been reserved earlier by a group of Easterners who were seeking support to build their Lincoln Highway from Washington to Gettysburg on federal funds. When Congress turned down their proposed appropriation, the project collapsed, and Fisher's preferred name became readily available. On July 1, 1913, the Lincoln Highway Association (LHA) was established "to procure

4080-424: The Lincoln Highway runs coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City west to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. The full route originally ran through 13 states: New York , New Jersey , Pennsylvania , Ohio , Indiana , Illinois , Iowa , Nebraska , Colorado , Wyoming , Utah , Nevada , and California . In 1915, the "Colorado Loop" was removed, and in 1928, a realignment routed the Lincoln Highway through

4182-426: The Lincoln Memorial is a big draw for film location scouts, producers, and directors because this landmark has appeared in a considerable number of films." Jay Sacher writes: From high to low, the memorial is cultural shorthand for both American ideals and 1960s radicalism. From Forrest Gump 's Zelig -like insertion into anti-war rallies on the steps of the memorial, to the villainous Decepticon robots discarding

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4284-456: The Lincoln statue and claiming it as a throne. ... The memorial's place in the culture is assured even as it is parodied. From 1959 (the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth) to 2008, the memorial, with statue visible through the columns, was depicted on the reverse of the United States one-cent coin, which since 1909 has depicted a bust of Lincoln on its front. The memorial has appeared on

4386-525: The October 31 dedication ceremonies, the LHA asked clergy across the United States to discuss Abraham Lincoln in their sermons on November 2, the Sunday nearest the dedication. The LHA then distributed copies of many of the sermons, such as one by Cardinal James Gibbons who, with the dedication fresh in mind, had written that "such a highway will be a most fitting and useful monument to the memory of Lincoln". One of

4488-588: The Past in Washington, D.C." states that Daniel Chester French had a son who was deaf and that the sculptor was familiar with sign language. Historian James A. Percoco has observed that, although there are no extant documents showing that French had Lincoln's hands carved to represent the letters "A" and "L" in American Sign Language, "I think you can conclude that it's reasonable to have that kind of summation about

4590-530: The United States House of Representatives , wrote, "I believe the time has come for the general Government to actively and powerfully co-operate with the States in building a great system of public highways ... that would bring its benefits to every citizen in the country". However, Congress as a whole was not yet ready to commit funding to such projects. Carl G. Fisher was an early automobile entrepreneur who

4692-456: The Vietnam War . On August 28, 1983, crowds gathered again to mark the 20th Anniversary Mobilization for Jobs, Peace and Freedom, to reflect on progress in gaining civil rights for African Americans and to commit to correcting continuing injustices. King's speech is such a part of the Lincoln Memorial story, that the spot on which King stood, on the landing eighteen steps below Lincoln's statue,

4794-662: The accompanying letter, and both were widely reprinted. One of Fisher's first acts after opening LHA headquarters was to hire F. T. Grenell, city editor of the Detroit Free Press , as a part-time publicity man. The Trail-Blazer tour included representatives of the Hearst newspaper syndicate , the Indianapolis Star and News , the Chicago Tribune , and telegraph companies to help transmit their dispatches. In preparation for

4896-487: The attitude of those States crossed by the route. Those universally familiar red, white and blue markers, in many states the first to be erected on any thru route, will never lose their significance or their place on America's first transcontinental road. The states approved the new national numbering system in November 1926 and began putting up new signs. The Lincoln Highway was not alone in being split among several numbers, but

4998-487: The back of Lincoln's head, and looks back across the Potomac toward his former home, Arlington House (now within the bounds of Arlington National Cemetery ). Another popular legend is that Lincoln's hands are shown using sign language to represent his initials, his left hand signing an A and his right signing an L . The National Park Service denies both legends. However, historian Gerald Prokopowicz writes that, while it

5100-436: The building of enduring highways everywhere that will not only be a credit to the American people but that will also mean much to American agriculture and American commerce". Henry Joy was named as the LHA president, so that although Carl Fisher remained a driving force in furthering the goals of the association, it would not appear as his one-man crusade. The first section of the Lincoln Highway to be completed and dedicated

5202-417: The convoy was greeted in communities across the country. The LHA used the convoy's difficulties to show the need for better main highways, building popular support for both local and federal funding. The convoy led to the passage of many county bond issues supporting highway construction. One of the participants in the convoy was Lieutenant Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower , and it was so memorable that he devoted

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5304-432: The cost. Since gasoline stations were still rare in many parts of the country, motorists were urged to top off their gasoline at every opportunity, even if they had done so recently. Motorists should wade through water before driving through to verify the depth. The list of recommended equipment included chains, a shovel, axe, jacks, tire casings and inner tubes, tools, and (of course) a pair of Lincoln Highway pennants. And,

5406-471: The early days of the effort, each contribution from a famous supporter was publicized. Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison , both friends of Fisher, sent checks. A friendly Member of the United States Congress arranged for President Woodrow Wilson , a dedicated motor enthusiast, to contribute $ 5 whereupon he was issued Highway Certificate #1. Copies of the certificate were promptly distributed to

5508-457: The early stages of the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways . In September 1912, in a letter to a friend, Fisher wrote that "... the highways of America are built chiefly of politics, whereas the proper material is crushed rock, or concrete". The leaders of the LHA were masters of the public relations , and used publicity and propaganda as even more important materials. In

5610-402: The entire routing between Philadelphia and Granger, Wyoming, was assigned US 30 per the agreement. East of Philadelphia the Lincoln Highway was part of US 1 , and west of Salt Lake City the route became US 50 across Nevada and then US 40 over Donner Pass. Only the segment between Granger and Salt Lake City was not part of the new numbering plan; US 30 was assigned to

5712-449: The establishment of a continuous improved highway from the Atlantic to the Pacific, open to lawful traffic of all description without toll charges". The first goal of the LHA was to build the rock highway from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. The second goal was to promote the Lincoln Highway as an example to, in Fisher's words, "stimulate as nothing else could

5814-518: The extensive interior space. If Lincoln were depicted standing, he would be 28 feet (8.5 m) tall. The widest span of the statue corresponds to its height, and it rests upon an oblong pedestal of Tennessee marble 10 feet (3.0 m) high, 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, and 17 feet (5.2 m) deep. Directly beneath this lies a platform of Tennessee marble about 34.5 feet (10.5 m) long, 28 feet (8.5 m) wide, and 6.5 inches (0.17 m) high. Lincoln's arms rest on representations of Roman fasces,

5916-459: The fasces are features of Etruscan political institutions that were adopted by the Romans, and according to Silius Italicus, these fasce originate from the city of Vetulonia, Italy. IN THIS TEMPLE AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER An urban legend holds that the face of General Robert E. Lee is carved onto

6018-417: The first time the following year and President William H. Taft was chosen as the commission's president. Progress continued steadily, and in 1913 Congress approved the commission's choice of design and location. There were questions regarding the commission's plan. Many thought architect Henry Bacon's Greek temple design was far too ostentatious for a man of Lincoln's humble character. Instead, they proposed

6120-503: The former alignments of the Lincoln Highway were largely superseded by Interstate 80 as the primary coast-to-coast route from the New York City area to San Francisco. Note: A fully interactive free online map of the entire Lincoln Highway and all of its re-alignments, markers, monuments and points of interest can be viewed at the Lincoln Highway Association Official Map website . Google Maps prominently labels

6222-539: The government should build America's roads. However, contributors included former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas A. Edison , both friends of Fisher, as well as then-current President Woodrow Wilson , the first U.S. president to make frequent use of an automobile for relaxation. Fisher and his associates chose a name for the road, naming it after one of Fisher's heroes, Abraham Lincoln . At first, they had to consider other names, such as "The Coast-to-Coast Rock Highway" or "The Ocean-to-Ocean Highway," because

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6324-487: The greater contributions to highway development was a well-publicized and promoted United States Army Transcontinental Motor Convoy in 1919. The convoy left the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 7, 1919, and met the Lincoln Highway route at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania . After two months of travel, the convoy reached San Francisco on September 6, 1919. Though bridges failed, vehicles broke and were sometimes stuck in mud,

6426-404: The guide offered this sage advice: "Don't wear new shoes". Firearms were not necessary, but west of Omaha full camping equipment was recommended, and the guide warned against drinking alkali water that could cause serious cramps. In certain areas, advice was offered on getting help, for example near Fish Springs, Utah , "If trouble is experienced, build a sagebrush fire. Mr. Thomas will come with

6528-446: The hands." As one of the most prominent American monuments, the Lincoln Memorial is often featured in books, films, videogames, and television shows that take place in Washington; by 2003 it had appeared in over 60 films, and in 2009, Mark S. Reinhart compiled some short sketches of dozens of uses of the Memorial in film and television. Some examples of films include Frank Capra 's 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , where in

6630-499: The highest elevation on the Lincoln Highway; it was relocated to the nearby Sherman Summit Rest Area on I-80 in 1969. The LHA needed to determine the best and most direct route from New York City to San Francisco. East of the Mississippi River , route selection was eased by the relatively dense road network. To scout a western route, the LHA's "Trail-Blazer" tour set out from Indianapolis in 17 cars and two trucks on July 1, 1913,

6732-591: The highway, was re-formed in 1992 and is now dedicated to promoting and preserving the road. In 1912, railroads dominated interstate transportation in America, and roadways were primarily of local interest. Outside cities, "market roads" were sometimes maintained by counties or townships, but maintenance of rural roads fell to those who lived along them. Many states had constitutional prohibitions against funding "internal improvements" such as road projects, and federal highway programs were not to become effective until 1921. At

6834-433: The importance of a unified, safe, and economical system of roads. ... Now I believe the country is at the beginning of another new era in highway building (that will) create a system of roads far beyond the dreams of the Lincoln Highway founders. I hope this anniversary observance makes millions of people realize how vital roads are to our national welfare, to economic programs, and to our national defense ... Fisher died about

6936-399: The large interior statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln (1920), which was carved in marble by the Piccirilli brothers . Jules Guerin painted the interior murals, and the epitaph above the statue was written by Royal Cortissoz . Dedicated on May 30, 1922, it is one of several memorials built to honor an American president . It has been a major tourist attraction since its opening, and over

7038-417: The location because it was surrounded on three sides by water, so that any incident could be easily contained. The Memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. At the memorial on May 9, 1970, President Richard Nixon had a middle-of-the-night impromptu, brief meeting with protesters who, just days after the Kent State shootings , were preparing to march against

7140-400: The memorial appear to bulge out at the top when compared with the bottom, a common feature of Ancient Greek architecture . Above the colonnade, inscribed on the frieze , are the names of the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln's death and the dates in which they entered the Union. Their names are separated by double wreath medallions in bas-relief . The cornice is composed of

7242-523: The memorial grounds were the site of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom , which proved to be a high point of the American Civil Rights Movement . It is estimated that approximately 250,000 people came to the event, where they heard Martin Luther King Jr. , deliver his historic " I Have a Dream " speech before the memorial honoring the president who issued the Emancipation Proclamation 100 years earlier. King's speech, with its language of patriotism and its evocation of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address ,

7344-413: The memorial's commission, former Senator Joseph C. S. Blackburn of Kentucky; and the memorial's designer, Henry Bacon, conducted a groundbreaking ceremony by turning over a few spadefuls of earth. The following month is when actual construction began. Work progressed steadily according to schedule. Some changes were made to the plan. The statue of Lincoln, originally designed to be 10 feet (3.0 m) tall,

7446-474: The memory of Abraham Lincoln. Less commonly known is that 4,000 metal signs for urban areas were also erected then. The markers were placed on the outer edge of the right of way at major and minor crossroads, and at reassuring intervals along uninterrupted segments. Each concrete post carried the Lincoln Highway insignia and directional arrow, as well as a bronze medallion with Lincoln's bust stating, "This Highway Dedicated to Abraham Lincoln". The Lincoln Highway

7548-456: The northern tip of West Virginia . Thus, there are 14 states, 128 counties, and more than 700 cities, towns, and villages through which the highway passed at some time in its history. The first officially recorded length of the entire Lincoln Highway in 1913 was 3,389 miles (5,454 km). Over the years, the road was improved and numerous realignments were made, and by 1924 the highway had been shortened to 3,142 miles (5,057 km). Counting

7650-404: The original route and all of the subsequent realignments, there has been a grand total of 5,872 miles (9,450 km). The Lincoln Highway was gradually replaced with numbered designations after the establishment of the U.S. Numbered Highway System in 1926, with most of the route becoming U.S. Route 30 from Pennsylvania to Wyoming. After the Interstate Highway System was formed in the 1950s,

7752-746: The plaza and 29 steps from the plaza to the Reflecting Pool). The Memorial's interior is divided into three chambers by two rows of four Ionic columns , each 50 feet (15 m) tall and 5.5 feet (1.7 m) across at their base. The central chamber, housing the statue of Lincoln, is 60 feet (18 m) wide, 74 feet (23 m) deep, and 60 feet (18 m) high. The north and south chambers display carved inscriptions of Lincoln's second inaugural address and his Gettysburg Address . Bordering these inscriptions are pilasters ornamented with fasces , eagles, and wreaths. The inscriptions and adjoining ornamentation are by Evelyn Beatrice Longman . The Memorial

7854-454: The press. One of the best-known contributions came from a small group of Native Alaskan children in Anvik, Alaska . Their American teacher told them about Abraham Lincoln and the highway to be built in his honor, and they took up a collection and sent it to the LHA with the note, "Fourteen pennies from Anvik Esquimaux children for the Lincoln Highway". The LHA distributed pictures of the coins and

7956-627: The rally at the end of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom . Like other monuments on the National Mall ;– including the nearby Vietnam Veterans Memorial , Korean War Veterans Memorial , and World War II Memorial – the national memorial is administered by the National Park Service under its National Mall and Memorial Parks group. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since October 15, 1966, and

8058-663: The route of the highway. One of the statues was given to Joy in 1914. Joy's statue was later presented to the Detroit Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America . That statue was as of 2012 on display at D-bar-A Scout Ranch in Metamora, Michigan . There is another statue of Lincoln in the main entrance of Lincoln Park (Jersey City) . In 1959, Robert Russin erected the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument at

8160-545: The same day LHA headquarters were established in Detroit. After 34 days of Iowa mud pits, sand drifts in Nevada and Utah , overheated radiators , flooded roads, cracked axles, and enthusiastic greetings in every town that thought it had a chance of being on the new highway, the tour arrived for a parade down San Francisco's Market Street before thousands of cheering residents. The Trail-Blazers returned to Indianapolis by train, and

8262-494: The seedling miles were intended "to demonstrate the desirability of this permanent type of road construction" to rally public support for government-backed construction. The LHA convinced industry of their self-interest and was able to arrange donations of materials from the Portland Cement Association. The first seedling mile (1.6 km) was built in 1914 west of Malta, Illinois ; but, after years of experience,

8364-419: The six Piccirilli brothers (Ferruccio, Attilio, Furio, Masaniello, Orazio, and Getulio) in its construction, and it took four years to complete. The 175- short-ton (159  t ) statue, carved from Georgia white marble, was shipped in 28 pieces. Originally intended to be only 10 feet (3.0 m) tall, the sculpture was enlarged to 19 feet (5.8 m) from head to foot considering it would look small within

8466-452: The south wall; Unity, Fraternity, and Charity on the north. Cypress trees, representing Eternity, are in the murals' backgrounds. The murals' paint incorporated kerosene and wax to protect the exposed artwork from fluctuations in temperature and moisture. The ceiling consists of bronze girders ornamented with laurel and oak leaves. Between these are panels of Alabama marble , saturated with paraffin to increase translucency. But feeling that

8568-420: The statue required even more light, Bacon and French designed metal slats for the ceiling to conceal floodlights, which could be modulated to supplement the natural light; this modification was installed in 1929. The one major alteration since was the addition of an elevator for the disabled in the 1970s. Below the memorial is an undercroft . During construction, graffiti was scrawled on it by workers, which

8670-529: The steps rise to the Lincoln Memorial Circle roadway surrounding the edifice, then to the main portal, intermittently spaced with a series of platforms. Flanking the steps as they approach the entrance are two buttresses each crowned with an 11-foot (3.4 m) tall tripod carved from pink Tennessee marble by the Piccirilli Brothers. There are a total of 87 steps (58 steps from the chamber to

8772-426: The time of Lincoln's death, and two columns in-antis at the entrance behind the colonnade . The columns stand 44 feet (13 m) tall with a base diameter of 7.5 feet (2.3 m). Each column is built from 12 drums including the capital . The columns, like the exterior walls and facades, are inclined slightly toward the building's interior. This is to compensate for perspective distortions which would otherwise make

8874-494: The time, the country had about 2.2 million miles (3,500,000 km) of rural roads, of which a mere 8.66% (190,476 miles or 306,541 kilometres) had "improved" surfaces: gravel, stone, sand-clay, brick, shells, oiled earth, etc. Interstate roads were considered a luxury, something only for wealthy travelers who could spend weeks riding around in their automobiles. Support for a system of improved interstate highways had been growing. For example, in 1911, Champ Clark , Speaker of

8976-438: The tour's passage had meant their towns would be on the Highway. Less than half the selected route was improved roadway. As segments were improved over time, the route length was reduced by about 250 miles (400 km). Several segments of the Lincoln Highway route followed historic roads: The LHA dedicated the route on October 31, 1913. Bonfires, fireworks, concerts, parades, and street dances were held in hundreds of cities in

9078-425: The undercroft is planned to be open to visitors following a rehabilitation project funded by David Rubenstein . Work started on the $ 69 million project in 2023 with expected completion by 2026. Lying between the north and south chambers of the open-air Memorial is the central hall, which contains the large solitary figure of Abraham Lincoln sitting in contemplation. Its sculptor, Daniel Chester French , supervised

9180-561: The years, has occasionally been used as a symbolic center focused on race relations and civil rights. Doric style columns line the temple exterior, and the inscriptions inside include two well-known speeches by Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address . The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King Jr. 's " I Have a Dream " speech delivered on August 28, 1963, during

9282-542: Was America's first national memorial to President Abraham Lincoln , predating the 1922 dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., by nine years. As the first automobile road across America, the Lincoln Highway brought great prosperity to the hundreds of cities, towns and villages along the way. The Lincoln Highway became affectionately known as "The Main Street Across America". The Lincoln Highway

9384-562: Was championed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower , influenced by his experiences as a young soldier crossing the country in the 1919 Army Convoy on the Lincoln Highway. Today, Interstate 80 (I-80) is the cross-country highway most closely aligned with the Lincoln Highway. In the West, particularly in Wyoming, Utah and California, sections of I-80 are paved directly over old alignments of the Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln Highway Association , originally established in 1913 to plan, promote, and sign

9486-400: Was engraved in 2003 in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the event. The exterior of the Memorial echoes a classic Greek temple and features Yule marble quarried from Colorado . The structure measures 189.7 by 118.5 feet (57.8 by 36.1 m) and is 99 feet (30 m) tall. It is surrounded by a peristyle of 36 fluted Doric columns , one for each of the 36 states in the Union at

9588-505: Was enlarged to 19 feet (5.8 m) to prevent it from being overwhelmed by the huge chamber. As late as 1920, the decision was made to substitute an open portal for the bronze and glass grille which was to have guarded the entrance. Despite these changes, the Memorial was finished on schedule. Commission president William H. Taft – who was then Chief Justice of the United States – dedicated the Memorial on May 30, 1922, and presented it to President Warren G. Harding , who accepted it on behalf of

9690-572: Was inspired by the Good Roads Movement and the National Old Trails Road . In turn, the success of the Lincoln Highway and the resulting economic boost to the governments, businesses and citizens along its route inspired the creation of many other named long-distance roads (known as National Auto Trails ), such as the Yellowstone Trail , Dixie Highway , Jefferson Highway , Bankhead Highway , Jackson Highway , Meridian Highway and Victory Highway . Many of these named highways were supplanted by

9792-400: Was making the old road associations less important, but the LHA still had significant influence. The Secretary of the Joint Board, BPR official E. W. James, went to Detroit to gain LHA support for the numbering scheme, knowing it would be hard for smaller road associations to object if the LHA publicly supported the new plan. The LHA preferred numbering the existing named routes, but in the end

9894-513: Was meant to match the symbolism of the Lincoln Memorial as a monument to national unity. Labor leader Walter Reuther , an organizer of the march, persuaded the other organizers to move the march to the Lincoln Memorial from the Capitol Building . Reuther believed the location would be less threatening to Congress and that the occasion would be especially appropriate underneath the gaze of Abraham Lincoln's statue. The D.C. police also appreciated

9996-421: Was not yet the imagined "rock highway" from coast to coast when the LHA ceased operating, as there were many segments that had still not been paved. Some parts were because of reroutings, such as a dispute in the early 1920s with Utah officials that forced the LHA to change routes in western Utah and eastern Nevada. Construction was underway on the final unpaved 42-mile (68 km) segment by the 25th anniversary of

10098-403: Was noted a month later in a July 3, 1938, nationwide radio broadcast on NBC Radio . The program featured interviews with a number of LHA officials, and a message from Carl Fisher read by an announcer in Detroit. Fisher's statement included: The Lincoln Highway Association has accomplished its primary purpose, that of providing an object lesson to show the possibility in highway transportation and

10200-647: Was ranked seventh on the American Institute of Architects ' 2007 list of America's Favorite Architecture . The memorial is open to the public 24 hours a day, and more than seven million people visit it annually. The first public memorial to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. , was a statue by Lot Flannery erected in front of the District of Columbia City Hall in 1868, three years after Lincoln's assassination in Ford’s Theatre . Demands for

10302-665: Was the Essex and Hudson Lincoln Highway, running along the former Newark Plank Road from Newark, New Jersey , to Jersey City, New Jersey . It was dedicated on December 13, 1913 at the request of the Associated Automobile Clubs of New Jersey and the Newark Motor Club, and was named after the two counties it passed through. To bring attention to the highway, Fisher commissioned statues of Abraham Lincoln, titled The Great Emancipator , to be placed in key locations along

10404-535: Was the manufacturer of Prest-O-Lite carbide-gas headlights used on most early cars, and was also one of the principal investors who built the Indianapolis Motor Speedway . He believed that the popularity of automobiles was dependent on good roads. In 1912, he began promoting his dream of a transcontinental highway and at a September 10 dinner meeting with industry friends in Indianapolis , he called for

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