HIGHWAY ENTHUSIASTS COMING (TEXAS, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, ALABAMA, FLORIDA) OR BUILDERS HONORED CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF GOOD ROADS
By Charlotte Kahl
The paved east/west transcontinental highway named the “Old Spanish Trail” was so important for the truck and auto traffic that would bring freight and visitors to the capitol that the 1917 Tallahassee Mayor D. M. Lowry visited cities all along the Gulf coast to Houston, Texas by train, inviting them to Tallahassee to discuss how to get this fine highway built. During the same time period, the north/south -cross-country highway named the “Dixie Highway” was being planned through Tallahassee.
Once here the elected officials, Good Roads Clubs members, and highway enthusiasts were invited to the Governor’s Mansion where the wives of Governor S. J. Catts, Mayor D. M. Lowry and Ford Dealer James Messer served them punch. The Gilbert Chandler family had not yet arrived to build their tourist camps and motor court cabins that can still be seen today around Lake Ella.
Today’s historians and highway enthusiasts are gathering from near and far for a centennial reenactment of that 1917 convention. As they gather May 18 – 20 to celebrate the efforts of all who strongly supported highway development with funds, lobbying efforts, and labor, watch for vintage and classic autos driving Tallahassee OST and Dixie routes. A lively welcome reception for them is planned with a scene from the play “Nuevo Mundo” by Theater with a Mission, Folkloric dancing by the children’s group Un Poquito de México, and enthralling songs by Reid Soria of Autism Sings.
For more information about the Centennial Celebration Association’s Reenactment of 1917 OST Conference, please go to www.oldspanishtralcentennial.com. You may also e-mail [email protected]