This is the story of progress, of a quest for efficiency, of innovation, and of the way the American public received all of it. When the first settlers came across the Atlantic ocean, native peoples of this land had never conceived of men on horseback. Less than five hundred years later, an American set foot on the moon. The story of transportation in America mimics the story of humanity as a whole, a series of startling leaps, and several falls from dizzying heights. Through all the upheaval and change of new transportation, one thing has remained the same: Americans constantly continue forward, pushing the boundaries of what is deemed impossible.
The evolution of transportation is one wrought with social turmoil as well. At the forefront of every new innovation was massive excitement. Each new step forward was heralded with celebration. Ads screamed with the promise of increased efficiency, and each new creation was an instant necessity. The American public became infatuated by new shiny trains and cars, all chrome and steel. They were swept up in a whirlwind of new possibilities. With each railroad track that was laid, new possibilities for travel and exploration emerged.
However, this massive undertaking was not immune to opposition. While progress in transportation was a source of wonder and excitement for some, it was a source of skepticism and fear for others. There were many who disagreed with the feverish haste with which America took on the creation of cars, trains, and planes. They felt that new machines were not reliable, and viewed those who dove head-first into new innovations as impetuous and rash.
In this museum you will find testaments to each step and each side of the history of transportation in America. Contained in the museum are four exhibits: trains, automobiles, flight, and a miscellaneous exhibit for everything else. Within each of these are advertisements, photos, articles, and government records that depict just how complex and nuanced this movement was. By looking into the way transportation is discussed in each exhibit, one can begin to discover how transportation impacted the lives of everyday Americans.
The evolution of transportation is one wrought with social turmoil as well. At the forefront of every new innovation was massive excitement. Each new step forward was heralded with celebration. Ads screamed with the promise of increased efficiency, and each new creation was an instant necessity. The American public became infatuated by new shiny trains and cars, all chrome and steel. They were swept up in a whirlwind of new possibilities. With each railroad track that was laid, new possibilities for travel and exploration emerged.
However, this massive undertaking was not immune to opposition. While progress in transportation was a source of wonder and excitement for some, it was a source of skepticism and fear for others. There were many who disagreed with the feverish haste with which America took on the creation of cars, trains, and planes. They felt that new machines were not reliable, and viewed those who dove head-first into new innovations as impetuous and rash.
In this museum you will find testaments to each step and each side of the history of transportation in America. Contained in the museum are four exhibits: trains, automobiles, flight, and a miscellaneous exhibit for everything else. Within each of these are advertisements, photos, articles, and government records that depict just how complex and nuanced this movement was. By looking into the way transportation is discussed in each exhibit, one can begin to discover how transportation impacted the lives of everyday Americans.
"There was no more loneliness: no more sections. The oceans were joined,
and all who dwelt between them might at last be neighbors and friends in a
real sense. Never again could distance or isolation be decisive factors in
life, social conditions, culture or opportunities of the people. All might
mingle with one another, get really acquainted, discover mutual needs, and
work in better harmony for the common advancement... And if those of future
times should seek for a day on which the country at last became a nation,
and for an event by virtue of which its inhabitants became one people...
[they will] choose... the hour when two engines... met at Promontory."
- Seymour Dunbar, A history of travel in America. 1915
and all who dwelt between them might at last be neighbors and friends in a
real sense. Never again could distance or isolation be decisive factors in
life, social conditions, culture or opportunities of the people. All might
mingle with one another, get really acquainted, discover mutual needs, and
work in better harmony for the common advancement... And if those of future
times should seek for a day on which the country at last became a nation,
and for an event by virtue of which its inhabitants became one people...
[they will] choose... the hour when two engines... met at Promontory."
- Seymour Dunbar, A history of travel in America. 1915
Exhibits
Quote Credit: Dunbar, Seymour. A history of travel in America. Bobbs-Merrill company, 1915.
Photo Credit from Left to Right: (Unknown. Old Car. 2007 online. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 17 Jan. 2017., Brooksbank, Ben. Walton with Leicester - Peterborough East Train. 1949. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 17 Jan. 2017., Unknown. Douglas C-47 Skytrain. 1940-1949. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.)
Quote Credit: Dunbar, Seymour. A history of travel in America. Bobbs-Merrill company, 1915.
Photo Credit from Left to Right: (Unknown. Old Car. 2007 online. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 17 Jan. 2017., Brooksbank, Ben. Walton with Leicester - Peterborough East Train. 1949. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 17 Jan. 2017., Unknown. Douglas C-47 Skytrain. 1940-1949. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.)
Quote Credit: Dunbar, Seymour. A history of travel in America. Bobbs-Merrill company, 1915.