Antique Car Museum of Iowa: Part 2

Thursday, September 11, 2014

What is a car museum without music?  Toward the back of the building we found a *working* jukebox!  The curator told us it runs on nickels, so I looked through my change until I found one. There were several songs to choose from, and someone pointed out what I thought was the Andrews Sisters' 1940s hit Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and then Auld Lang Syne. 
The Boogie Woogie (it turned out to be Tommy Dorsey's Boogie Woogie; you can listen to Myron Floren's excellent rendition here) sounded like it would be by far more exciting, so we listened to it as we browsed the rest of the museum.   
  
These convertibles were real beauties!

The 1923 Milburn on the left was an early attempt at building an electric car.  On the right is what I thought was one of the most fabulous cars on display, a 1931 Duesenberg J229.

Isn't she classy?  Just look at that engine! 
The contraption on the left was used by a child to drive to grade school.  In high school (at the age of 15) he moved up in the world with the 1930 Buick Coupe on the right.    
The 1931 Lincoln above is the curator's personal favorite.  It cost $4,600 new; an advertising slogan was, "Lincolns should be seen but not heard."
A few more of the cars are shown above.  I like the colors and designs of the cars from the '50s and '60s.  While I wouldn't choose the older cars below as my ideal drive to get me through the wind, rain, sleet, and snow of Iowa they are very interesting to  look at at a museum.  

At the time they were constructed--in the early 1900s--Iowa was famous for having some of the worst  muddy roads in the nation.  In fact, the state became a good place for outlaws because the roads were so terrible that the law had a very bad time trying to catch them. 

It took a lot of work to improve the roads, but now almost every road in Iowa is either paved or graveled.  Whenever we start feeling too nostalgic for the good old days though, a wet spring will come along--just as the frost leaves the ground and before the roads are re-gravelled--and leave us with good old fashioned muddy roads again.
The oldest car I noticed at the museum is the 1899 Haynes-Apperson on the left.  It's in pretty good shape for a 115 year old car!

The tour of the museum was definitely very enjoyable!  And our $5 entry fee wasn't spent yet--it still covered admission to the adjoining Johnson County Historical Museum.  If you're ever in Coralville, be sure to visit this historical treasure trove!

30 comments:

  1. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - brings back memories of my Grandpa playing it on the piano for me when I was just a young thing :)

    Fabulous pictures and beautiful cars! Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day. Hugs!

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  2. What an amazing place to visit.

    Thanks for coming by.

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  3. awesome images....i would love to visit this place!!!

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  4. Ah, jukeboxes--brings back memories! That Duesenberg is stylish--very nice! As for cars from the 50s, just the other day we looked at one that was for sale. Unfortunately it was so damaged my hubby said it would cost just too much to restore it :(
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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    1. That's too bad--but hopefully you'll find a better one soon! Would be neat to restore one.

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  5. the jukebox with the 50s cars would be a great fit. :)

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  6. I love of the car the same museum is in Germany Stuttgart. I have written about on my blog.

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    1. That's neat--I'll have to browse back in your archives and find it!

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  7. Oh wow, you visit the most interesting places. I love old cars and I love jukeboxes, too. There was a diner I used to go to when I was younger. They had a jukebox there that was filled with so many wonderful old tunes. It closed down many years ago and I haven't seen another one since.

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    1. The diner sounds like it would have been a very neat place to visit!

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  8. This is such a great place to visit. And I LOVE that jukebox! Transports us way back in time...

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  9. I am really enjoying this!!! Great photos!

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  10. Feels like I'm in a time warp. The working jukebox is so sweet. Such a richness in those days that we miss now in our societies today. Very simple times.

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    1. Yes! I enjoy watching old shows from the 50s and 60s...it was a very different world!

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  11. Jukeboxes! How delightful to be able to choose your favorite tune to hear...and not the Muzak stream someone else gathered, even if artfully :)

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    1. Yes! There were several selections to choose from--all good old fashioned tunes!

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  12. Thanks for coming by. I'm a Big Valley fan too but rarely have time to watch a movie.

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  13. Wow, those are very old cars! But they look so well kept. Is nice to see a jukebox, I haven't seen one in a long time. My kids will think it's time machine!

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    1. Haha! I remember when we had a friend's little child over to our place and he saw a phonograph record player for the first time...he thought it was pretty interesting! I hope you can introduce your children to a jukebox one of these days soon--would be fun!

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  14. Beautiful old cars., thank you for sharing this interesting post.
    Bethany, have a nice week. Hugs

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    1. You have a great week as well Monika! Thanks and God bless!

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  15. I like old cars, my son Kamil olso likes.
    Great photos!
    You see: http://5porroku.blogspot.com/2013/08/niespodzianka-na-po-roku-blogowania_15.html




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    1. Thanks for the link! It is neat and interesting how we both can see similar museums in our own countries!

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