Lincoln Highway kiosk officially dedicated

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A number of local residents and government officials were on hand Wednesday morning to dedicate a kiosk celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Highway.

The kiosk, located on the north edge of Fountain Park, includes some newspaper articles detailing the highway’s history, as well as some historic photos, including a number of local sites along the highway.

“It is time to go back and remember the significance of this highway, and what it did for this community,” said Van Wert Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Larry Lee, who added that a committee has spent approximately 1½ years working on activities for the highway’s three-day local 100th anniversary celebration.

Members of the committee include Lee, local historian Larry Webb, Main Street Van Wert Program Manager Adam Ries, First Ward City Councilman John Marshall, Kirk Dougal of Times-Bulletin Media, County Elections Director Linda Stutz, County Business Outreach Coordinator Sarah Smith, local residents Warren Kramer, Gary Showalter, and Jeff and Cathy Thomas, Historical Society Trustee Jeanne Zeigler, and County Commissioner Todd Wolfrum.

The kiosk was developed by a group that included Ries and Webb, graphic designer Ty Coil of Real Cre8tive and Greg Boley of Signs in Time.

Lee and Webb both talked about the economic impact of the highway, with Lee remembering all the traffic that used to traverse Main Street during his childhood in the 1950s and 1960s.

Webb talked about his involvement in the Lincoln Highway, which goes back to the time his family owned Webb’s Hi-Speed Service Station and Tourist Cabins, which was located along the highway.

The kiosk was then officially dedicated by Van Wert Mayor Don Farmer and County Commissioner Thad Lichtensteiger.

Following the dedication ceremony, local residents greeted the official Lincoln Highway Centennial Tour of classic and antique cars that came through Van Wert late Wednesday morning. Members of the tour, which Lee said included 48 cars and approximately 100 people, also stopped for a luncheon hosted by the Van Wert County Historical Society, which was set up in the basement of First United Methodist Church because of the threat of rain.

A number of other activities and events have been organized to celebrate the Lincoln Highway’s 100 anniversary. Perhaps most notable will be a bus tour that will run from Lincoln Ridge Farm west of Convoy to Bucyrus this Saturday, June 29.