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Start Over Repository University of Michigan Special Collections Research Center Collection Lincoln Highway Association Records, 1911-1941 (majority within 1912-1930)
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Lincoln Highway Association Records, 1911-1941 (majority within 1912-1930)

6 linear ft. and 1 portfolio

Formed in 1913 by Carl G. Fisher, Frank A. Seiberling, and Henry B. Joy, the Lincoln Highway Association was made up of representatives from the automobile, tire, and cement industries. The Association aimed to plan, fund, construct, and promote the first transcontinental highway in North America. The route ran from New York to San Francisco, and covered approximately 3,400 miles. The Detroit headquarters of the Association closed in 1928. This collection contains: correspondence, particularly between members of the Association and government officials; meeting minutes; reports, bulletins, and newsletters published by the Association; motorist maps of the route; and annotated editions of The Complete Official Road Guide of the Lincoln Highway. Photographs from the Lincoln Highway Association Records have been digitized and are accessible online at the Lincoln Highway Digital Image Collection (http://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/linchigh). The Digital Image Collection contains over 3,000 images including views of construction underway, towns and cities, markers, bridges, cars, camp sites, scenic views, and snapshots of Association directors and field secretaries traveling the route.

The Lincoln Highway Association Records date from 1911 to 1993 with the bulk of materials concentrated before 1930. The records are divided into five series: Official Business (1912-1941), Correspondence (1912-1929), Planning (1914-1940), Publicity (1911-1993), Publications (1915-1935), Jens Jensen Drawings (1922-1924) and Miscellaneous.

The Lincoln Highway Association archive was donated to the University of Michigan's Transportation Library in 1937. The archive was transferred to the Special Collections Library in 1992.

Communication was frequent between members of the Association as well as with officials from towns, counties, states, and the federal government. Correspondence and meeting minutes make up an important part of the collection. The Association published reports, bulletins, and newsletters to keep board members and the public aware of the Highway's progress. Maps of the driving route along with mileages were provided for motorists for navigation as were five editions of The Complete Official Road Guide of the Lincoln Highway .

Photographs from the Lincoln Highway Association Records have been digitized and are accessible online at the Lincoln Highway Digital Image Collection (http://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/linchigh). The Digital Image Collection contains over 3,000 images including views of construction underway, towns and cities, markers, bridges, cars, camp sites, scenic views, and snapshots of Association directors and field secretaries traveling the route.

Folder

Official Business

The Official Business series (1912-1941) contains records relating to operational functions of the Association and consists of several subseries including Meeting Minutes, Reports, Bulletins, and Legal Documents.

Meeting Minutes (1913-1926) contains the official meeting minutes and accompanying documents for the Board of Directors (1913-1925), Executive Committee (1923-1941), Organization Committee (1913-1915), and the Annual Meeting (1923-1926). Meeting minutes were concentrate heavily on the finances of the Lincoln Highway Association. Details of fundraising efforts and explanations of how money was spent on building costs, contractors, and so on, are present in the minutes. Meeting minutes were housed in black leather binders with "[name of the committee], Lincoln Highway Association" in gold printing. The binders are retained as artifacts and are located in Box 5.

The Reports subseries (1914-1923) includes official reports from the Lincoln Highway Association. These include Annual Reports, Technical Committee Meeting Reports, and a number of miscellaneous reports. The purpose of the majority of reports is to describe progress on the construction of the Lincoln Highway. Some reports are specifically focused for internal organization use while others were written for the Department of Agriculture or other government bodies.

Bulletins (1912-1926) include three main subcategories: "Bulletins from Secretary's Office," "Directors' Bulletins," and "To Directors, Officers, and Founders." The Association used these bulletins as a form of communication to provide their officials with up-to-date information regarding the activities of the organization. The changes in category stated above were different names of the same bulletin, which remained consistent in content and form. It appears that bulletins were issued on a weekly or semi-weekly basis. The typical bulletin was one to two pages in length and authored by the Secretary of the Association.

The Legal Documents suberies (1913-1927) is a mix of internal and external records containing several varieties of documents. Founding Documents/Internal resolutions contains records pertinent to the establishment of the organization including the prospectus and incorporation papers of the Lincoln Highway Association. Internal resolutions passed by various boards within the Association are also present. Contracts/Resolutions with States includes documents from Indiana and Utah with the Association regarding the construction of the Lincoln Highway. Legislative Documents contains copies of bills from both the Senate, House of Representatives, and state governments. Financial Statements/Reports is relatively small, consisting of scattered formal financial statements. A majority of this information is out of context. For more records dealing with financial information see the Meeting Minutes subseries and the Correspondence series. Hearings/Briefs before the Secretary of Agriculture contain the transcripts and published version of a report concerning the Lincoln Highway in Utah and Nevada given on May 14, 1923.

Lincoln Highway Association Records, 1911-1941 (majority within 1912-1930)
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