Classic military vehicles rolling into East Palestine

EAST PALESTINE - A military vehicle convoy will be crossing the nation this summer, retracing the route another convoy took 90 years ago and making all the same stops.

One of those stops was and will be in East Palestine.

Chamber of Commerce President Don Elzer is expecting about 100 restored, civilian-owned military vehicles will be lining the road along East Palestine City Park June 15, entering the city from Pleasant Drive.

The Transcontinental Motor Vehicle Convoy, being presented by the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, will head out from Washington, D.C., on June 13, and the group plans to arrive in San Francisco on June 27.

The original convoy, held in 1919, was a military experiment to determine whether our armed forces could protect the west coast with vehicles driven in from the east coast, according to convoy director Terry Shelswell.

"As we understand it, this is the first time that the retracing of the convoy route has been repeated with military vehicles since 1919," he said, noting several groups have retraced the route over the years, but he does not believe restored military vehicles have ever made the trip.

Open to military vehicles of all eras, from World War I to recently retired vehicles from the 1980s, he said the convoy will bring military Jeeps, pickup trucks, radio vehicles, ambulances and even some 1918 motorcycles in brand new condition to the park. Some of the vehicles in the convoy are earlier models of vehicles still being used by our armed forces today.

A total of 65 vehicles will make the full trip, but Shelswell explained several owners of restored military vehicles will be jumping on and off the convoy at points. During parts of the trip, National Guard units with current military vehicles will be joining as well, completing the 90-year timeline.

The chamber will be hosting a free lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza and drinks for community members and the people participating in the convoy, although he cannot pinpoint a specific time for the lunch because there is no way of knowing how fast all the antique vehicles will be able to travel. The chamber is asking residents to take side dishes to the lunch for a real community get-together.

Classic military road vehicles won't be the only ones near the park that day; Elzer said the chamber is planning a fly-by of classic biplanes to coincide with the visit.

"The town's response has been incredible for a two-hour thing," he commented.

In preparation for the convoy, Shelswell said he drew a great deal of information from a book titled "The American Road" by author Pete Davies as well as copies of historical convoy telegrams and handwritten journals of people on the convoy acquired from the Eisenhower Presidential Library.

"We acquired copies of these to understand what they went through ... how the vehicles were used," he explained.

Dwight Eisenhower, who was fresh out of the military academy when the tour started, founded the nation's interstate highway system based on his experience on the convoy, Elzer noted.

In addition to being a military drill, the original convoy was being pushed by automotive leaders, including Henry Ford, Frank Sieberling, Henry Joy and Harvey Firestone.

"These are the pioneers of our industry, and they saw the economic advantage of having roadways," Shelswell said.

According to Elzer, Firestone, who was operating out of Columbiana at the time, convinced convoy leaders to stop for the night at the old fairgrounds in East Palestine, which is now the park.

"East Palestine became very prominent because Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford were pushing it because they wanted to sell cars," he explained.

Prior to the original convoy, railways had been the primary source of military transportation across the country, and the recently commissioned Lincoln Highway was to be the testing ground for the convoy.

Roadways in the early part of last century were not as easily traversed as they are today and the conditions still vary along the convoy's route, according to the Lincoln Highway Association. Some segments of the original route are not open to the public; some are on private property, and some are in roughly the same condition they were in 90 years ago, but the present-day convoy will be following the original route as closely as possible.

Shelswell said the convoy is an excellent act for the association to take now because it is not only the 90th anniversary of the original convoy but the 200th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln, the highway's namesake.

He noted members of the original convoy received great public support at every stop, and he is pleased to see that support staying strong close to a century down the road.

"We're very appreciative of the support we are seeing being prepared for us is East Palestine and in areas all across the country," He commented. "It's really a testament to the great character of our citizens."

mschomer@mojonews.com