The Antique Car Museum was only a short walk from the location of the Iowa Open. After the first game of the day Sunday we had a few hours for our lunch break, so we strolled over to the museum for a tour.
Upon entering the main room of the museum, one of the first things I noticed was this piano. Its works looked very unusual, so I asked the curator about it, and he said it was a player piano. He played a tune for us, and then I got a chance to play!
The car below left is an RCH Twenty-Five, which sold for $900. Robert Hupp, who started Hupp Motor Co. with his brother, wanted to create a car that could compete with Ford's Model T. However, the Hupmobile board of directors wanted to go the way of luxury cars, so he left the company and started RCH in 1911. Unfortunately the company was short-lived; production of the RCH continued only until 1915. Above right is a 1922 Overland. It originally sold for $595.
This gas station re-creation reminded me slightly of the one Gomer Pyle worked at in the Andy Griffith Show (though it is even more old-fashioned). Add a couple more rocking chairs out front and a steaming pot of coffee, and it could easily take the place of Floyd's barber shop as the local gathering place.
Doesn't this 1973 Cadillac look like the classic ride for gangsters to try to escape in?
Stay tuned: Part 2 will be posted soon!
That looks like a fun place to visit. Our daughter lives in Iowa, so we'll be over that way before too long. I'll have to see if the museum is at all close to her town.
ReplyDeleteThat would be wonderful if it is near enough for you to visit when you see your daughter! May the Lord bless you with traveling mercies (And don't wait too long before you come; it's starting to get pretty chilly, and as I'm sure you know from when you used to live here, once winter kicks in it gets positively frigid!)
DeleteWhat a fun place to visit! And only $5? That's great. I love visiting these types of museums. Yes, that Cadillac made me think of the same thing!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear we both are on the same page on which cars to watch out for! :D I was *very* happy with inexpensiveness of the admission fee, and it was a lot of fun!
DeleteI would love to take Beate there someday! She would be fascinated!
ReplyDeleteThat would be awesome! I'm sure you both would enjoy it!
DeleteNice and interesting museum. And you are gifted at music. Definitely it is not my cup of tea. And the admission is extremely cheap our museums are much more expensive. But i is Europe.
ReplyDeleteOnce again I'm reminded of the blessings of living in America...the entry fee was very low even for here! Prices for just about everything are going up though, so I do need to be reminded of the prices in Europe!
DeleteTo play the player piano, one just has to press 2 foot pedals for air that powers the piano--the piano does the rest of the work, so it's very easy to play!
i like the cute gas station model! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I did too...and it's a more or less just about life-size model which makes it all the better!
DeleteLove that gas station re-creation, and I love car shows. They are very popular at the jersey shore!!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Maybe one of these days I'll be in the right place at the right time and get to see one :)
DeleteI LOVE old cars and historical museums! The oldest car my hubby and I owned was a 1949 one. At the time. I didn't appreciate it and wanted it gone, now I would love to have it back!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Aimee
Ahh...reminds me of what my "Aunt" Esther used to say, "You never know how good you have it till it's gone...gone!" But if it wasn't restored at the time it's easy to see how it could seem undesirable to own...sometimes we do need room in the garage! :) God bless!
DeleteWow! That looks like fun! What song did You get to play on the piano? :)
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I don't remember the title. It was a beautiful classical piece though; I was tempted to say (maybe I did say) that it was the best piano playing I'd done in my life--certainly the fastest "learning" of a complicated new piece at least ;) Having the player piano do all the work for me was fun!
DeleteWhat a great post, love the photos. The admission fee sounds like a bargain!
ReplyDeleteYes, it certainly was! It beat the admission/value ratio for every other museum I've been to that charged (the free ones are hard to beat ;) ).
DeleteCar museums are fun. We have one near here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visits!...Janey
Awesome that you have one near you to visit without travelling too far!
DeleteWhat a bargain for that museum. I love old cars like that. Fun!
ReplyDeleteAmen! :D
DeleteThat horseless carriage looks like a grand way to drive and ride around, Bethany :) Thanks for posting and letting me enjoy viewing it!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly would be an impressive way to drive; I'm sure the original owners were proud of it!
DeleteGreat pictures Bethany. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon .
ReplyDeleteNeither can I--especially when one has the opportunity to not only tour a museum, but have good company!
DeleteNice pictures, the car and the piano are interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI love visiting these types of museums.Thank You for your fhoto!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I love visiting places like this! and you can't beat the admission fees! Your picture of the player piano brought back memories! Our friends stored one in our dining room for several years when I was growing up - really neat!
ReplyDeleteOh wow...that must have been neat to grow up with a player piano in your house!
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