Road Trippin’: Travel Collections at SC&A

Orville Wright (driving), Katharine Wright, and Harriet Silliman in the “St. Louis” automobile , 1903. (photo ms1_28_7_5)

Today, Friday, June 1st, the National Archives will hold their monthly Archives Hashtag Party, where archives and individuals worldwide are invited to celebrate the specific theme for the day by sharing photos and images on social media. For June, fittingly enough, the subject is #archivesroadtrip. All of us, at one time or another, hit the open road, sky, or water for a trip. Here at SC&A we have numerous collections, big and small, that include travel material in the form of photographs, albums, scrapbooks, passenger lists, pamphlets, booklets, tickets, and passports. Each one of these items comes with a specific story about the person and the trip.

In the spirit of summer and of the road trip, here are just a few highlights from our collections. If you want to see more, jump in the car and come visit the Archives this summer! We are here Monday-Friday from 8:30am-5pm. You can even make the visit part of Dayton’s amazing aviation places” tour and get a stamp for your Wilbear Wright passport.

In the summer of 1921, the McCarthy family decided to take a family trip from Dayton, Ohio, to California. The record of their trip has been preserved in a family scrapbook that has been digitized and available on CORE Scholar. The photographs capture car camping, rough roads, and, of course, such iconic American landmarks as the Mississippi River, Pike’s Peak, and the Grand Canyon.

Another Daytonian that traveled, and traveled extensively, was Marie Aull, a noted conservationist and gardener. You might recognize her name from Aullwood Garden and Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm. Marie traveled throughout the United States and the world during her lifetime and, like many travelers, brought home travel pamphlets, postcards, and other keepsakes. Marie visited many of our National Parks and often visited the same park more than once. Her collection includes brochures, postcards, and maps spanning from the 1920s-1990s.

National Park Tour, 1928 (MS-501_2_2)

In 1929, Marie and her husband, John, traveled around the world on the S.S. Franconia. Departing New York City on January 15, they sailed around the globe visiting places like Algiers, Monaco, Bombay, Manila, Shanghai, Kobe, and Havana.

So do you have a favorite place to visit? Are you planning a road trip this summer? If so, please feel free to share!