Hundreds of Lincoln Highway Enthusiasts Come to Malvern Saturday

Did you know Lincoln Highway has admirers? It does, and 270 of them from around the globe will begin a trip along the historic highway Saturday to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

The Lincoln Highway Association is organizing the trip, having invited historians and tourists to drive their classic and modern cars "through pastoral farm lands, over breathtaking mountains and rolling prairies" on the 10-day tour.

The riders will be split into two groups—one beginning in New York, the other in San Francisco—that will meet June 30 in the middle, aka Kearney, NE. 

The East group will spend the first night of their trip in Malvern's Desmond Hotel, the first of nine stops along the way, including nights in Chambersburg and Pittsburgh.

The association website provides a map of the highway's development over time, as well as the history of the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental road in the United States.

"[Automaker] Henry Joy came up with the idea of naming the highway to honor Abraham Lincoln," according to the website. "As far as Joy was concerned, directness was the most important factor. Using existing roads, the route deliberately avoided the larger cities when practicable in order to maintain as straight a course as possible."

A 1969 Mini Cooper from Chester Springs is one of the automobiles signed up for the East tour group, out of New York. Check out some of the other unusual cars making the journey on the association's website.