Customer Reviews

The Lincoln Highway: Pennsylvania Traveler's Guide

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The Lincoln Highway across Pennsylvania has something for almost every visitor. Brian Butko has seen, and describes, it all.

The Lincoln enters Pennsylvania from Trenton, NJ across a fragile 19th-century bridge, then approaches Philadelphia on historic Roosevelt Boulevard. From Philadelphia to Lancaster it follows the 18th-century Lancaster Pike, whose mileposts still sit almost unnoticed on the shoulder. Robert E. Lee's troops marched along the Lincoln en route to the Battle of Gettysburg.

From Chambersburg to Ligonier (with the glaring exception of Breezewood), the Lincoln is a driver's road: two lanes, winding up and down hills and through small towns in which time stopped a half-century ago. Many views from 75-year-old postcards still look the same today. Further west, the route traverses some of Pittsburgh's oldest suburbs, then promenades through downtown Pittsburgh en route to nicking the West Virginia panhandle at Chester.

This second, revised and updated edition of Brian Butko's guide masterfully recounts the history of the Lincoln Highway across Pennsylvania. Those driving the road will learn the history of every significant site they pass...as well as those, like Bill's Place and the Ship Hotel, which no longer remain.

I-80 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike are two of the dullest drives in the eastern United States. Take a little extra time and follow the Lincoln Highway instead -- and do it with this readable but comprehensive guide.

I greatly enjoyed the first edition of this book. The first edition seems to have piqued interest in the Lincoln in Pennsylvania. The second edition includes many more vintage pictures of scenes from the Lincoln and interviews from people connected with the highway. If you've ever driven a section of the Lincoln, Brian's writing will have you visualizing the journey in your minds eye. The new information and pictures made a second edition not only necessary but also welcome!

If you are traveling through Pennsylvania and are looking for something other than a highway route the Lincoln Highway is the way to go. Brian's description of the route and its history is superb.