The Lincoln Highway's most famous landmark was the Ship Hotel located in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Before the full-size ship was constructed, the Allegheny Mountain curve housed a roadside stand offering refreshments to early motorists, and water to cool their engines. See large picture.
The architecture of the Grand View Point Hotel began as an open-aired castle courtyard. In 1932 it was transformed into the shape of a steamer ship. The Ship Hotel came complete with a dining room, living quarters and observation decks to view the three states and seven counties from the Allegheny Mountainside.
famous guests of the Ship were Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan,
Will Rogers, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, and Calvin Coolidge,
just to name a few. Tourists and local residents ventured to the
grand ship for dining and entertainment. The ship thrived through
the 1930s, yet business drastically declined with the unveiling
of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1940.
On October 26, 2001, the S. S. Grandview Ship Hotel burned to the ground; the cause of the blaze unknown. The Ship was considered by many to be the most recognized landmark of the Lincoln Highway in PA, and an icon of the entire coast to coast road.
Today, only the beautiful vista of “three states and seven counties” remains, but the memories linger on….memories of dining, dancing, ice cream cones, and looking through the telescope.