There were very few people up and about on this Saturday morning so we could take our time snapping photos of the Westmoreland County Courthouse without being bothered. This is the fourth county courthouse for the county and it was erected in 1906. This beautiful Beaux Arts building has a Italian Renaissance style central dome which is 175 feet high.
There is an interesting water fountain by the courthouse. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) followers were "urged to erect drinking fountains in their towns so that men could get a drink of water without entering saloons and staying for stronger drinks."
A few other building around the courthouse are pretty as well. The Barclay-Westmoreland Trust was built in 1928 as a bank with a limestone facade in a Classical Revival style and the Bank and Trust Building is a four-story Romanesque Revival building built in 1896.
Back on the Lincoln Highway westbound is the Palace Theater. Formerly known as the Manos Theater, it was built in 1926.
On the far end of the city we had to swing around to eastbound split of the Lincoln Highway in order to capture a photo of another Roadside Giant of the Lincoln Highway. This Packard sculpture was designed and built by the students of the Central Westmorland Career and Technology Center.
Okay, now it was time for breakfast. We decided we had to eat at the Big Mac Museum in North Huntington, PA. While this isn't the actual McDonalds where the Big Mac was invented, that is 40 miles south of here in Uniontown, it does showcase a good bit of the burger's history. The displays are a bit hard to see as you have to be a bit rude to view them behind the dining tables but the 14-foot Big Mac is hard to miss!
We then headed off to the West Virginia leg of the Lincoln Highway. Stopping for gas at Chaney's Sunoco in Chester, WV, I carefully crossed the street to photograph the "World's Largest Teapot." This was originally moved here in 1938 by Wilford "Babe" Devon as a draw for his pottery shop.
Nearby, we found our first couple of Lincoln Highway markers. While searching for these we actually saved a rabbit's life when I was able to maneuver our little Fiat 500C in between him and a cat that was ready to attack. True story.
You can't forget to visit Homer Laughlin China when here. It's just a couple of miles up Route 2. While we didn't have time to take the tour Peg did score some good deals on some Fiesta items at the factory outlet right next-door to the plant. And they ship for free!
The original Lincoln Highway bridge across the Ohio River is long gone so we had a decision to make. Do we backtrack to Route 30 or do we take Newell Bridge? Not really a contest as we took the Newell Bridge which was built in 1907. The bridge is an open-grate steel bridge which is kind-of freaky to drive on. It's lots of fun so that would be my recommendation.
We stopped to photograph a neat church in East Liverpool, OH. The First United Presbyterian Church, built of Vermont sandstone, was dedicated in 1907.
We drove a 2.4 mile stretch of original 1920's brick paved road west of Minerva, OH. The rumblings while driving the road required us to reset the digital gauges on the car! We couldn't stop laughing with all the fun we were having.
In Canton, OH, we went a few blocks south to visit the Canton Classic Car Museum. You can read about it on the blog entry for Bubba's Garage.
After touring the museum we made a beeline for Mansfield and the Ohio State Reformatory. The Reformatory is just a little ways off of Route 30 and a MUST STOP attraction when passing through Mansfield, OH. Check out our blog entry for the Mansfield Reformatory.
It was starting to get late but we had one more stop to get to before we called it a day. The Lincoln Highway passes close to the Carousel District in Mansfield, OH. The Richland Carrousel Park, which opened in 1991, was the first carousel to open with all hand-carved animals since the 1930s. Fifty-two animals and two chariots are colorfully painted and waiting for you to ride.
Even though the sun was still shining we were forced to stop for the day. In small town America most shops close after 5pm.
Did you miss day one of our Lincoln Highway trip? Day one can be found on the blog.