Cruisin' on a Summer Afternoon: A visit to the Swigart Automobile Museum.  (Jerome A. Holst © 2005)

Friday started off like the rest of the week with 90 degree temperatures, so I decided to hit the road, feel the wind in my hair and travel along Interstate 22 to check out the William E. Swigart, Jr. Automobile Museum just three miles east of Huntington, Pennsylvania.

The Front Entrance of the Swigart Museum

After an hour and a half on the road I arrived at my destination and pulled into the museum driveway. Little did I know, that I was in for an added treat. For outside the museum in a van painted with the words WALY 103.9, there sounded the music of the Beach Boys and the lyrics "Fun, fun, fun, till her daddy takes her T-Bird away."

As the song ended, 103.9 DJ K.C. O'Day chimed in to remind listeners that she was camped out at the museum for a Friday auto event called the "WALY Cruise-in" that was sponsored by Tri-Star Motors.

The gathering included free hot dogs, root beer (while they lasted) and an assortment of classic cars from the 1950s to the present, including a brightly painted orange 1957 Chevy, a black 1959 Ford Edsel and a nicely detailed 2001 PT Cruiser decked out with PowerPuff Girls artwork.

A couple of classic cars at the WALY Cruise-in

Of course, the star of the show was Herbie the Love Bug, the original vehicle used in the Disney movie The Love Bug (1968) which is housed in the Swigart Museum on permanent display.

Outside of the museum, a replica Herbie sporting eyelashes over its headlights, and a trunk hood that suddenly moved up and down,
entertained the children and adults in attendance.

Stunt Double of Herbie on display outside the museum

Inside the museum, a classic collection of automobiles from the early 20th century were on display. Paying a $5.00 admission, I wandered through these hallowed halls of automotive history that were filled with mint-condition masterpieces shimmering with polished brass and chrome.

The exhibits included an 1895 horse-drawn, chemical-pumper fire truck with red and gold trim, a black 1916 Scripps-Booth stretch limo, a 1930 DuPont 'Le Mans' Speedster, a 1937 Cord Phantom convertible, a white 1936 twelve-cylinder Duesenberg convertible with black rag top - first owned by actor Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester from THE ADDAMS FAMILY), and a 1938 red and cream-colored American Austin Bantam 60.

 
1936 Duesenberg Convertible

Also on display was a maroon 1947 Tucker prototype ("The Goose") and a silver 1948 Tucker (No. 13 of only 49 ever made) and used in the film Tucker: The Man and His Dream starring Jeff Bridges.

Silver 1948 Tucker (No. 13) at the Swigart Museum

Free literature on automobiles manufactured in Pennsylvania and lists of all American automobiles were on hand during the tour, as well as a wonderful collection of "automobiliana" such as lights, horns, antique bicycles, toy cars, and a period clothing.

The Swigart Antique Auto Museum (which is older than the Henry Ford Museum) started in 1920. It was founded by William E. Swigart, Jr. whose passion for cars built up a collection of vehicles that now number in the hundreds. Only 30 to 40 of the cars in the collection are on display at any one time.

Many of the cars in the collection (like a 1981 DeLorean) are frequently "on the road" traveling to car meets, rallies, parades and various community events.

The West Wing of the Swigart Collection

Car Collector magazine named the Swigart Museum one of the ten best large auto museums in the United States. The museum is open seasonally from Memorial Day thru October (9:00 am - 5:00 p.m. daily). Their website is located at www.swigartmuseum.com.

As I exited the front of the museum, WALY 103.9 cranked out the lyrics to the song "Shotgun...Do the Jerk, Baby" while the mellifluous voice of K.C. O'Day continued to invite listeners to come on down and enjoy the Friday festivities at the Swigart Museum.

Having had my fill of automobiles and hotdogs, I returned to my modest 1998 black Chevrolet Prizm, turned on the ignition and carefully steered my car back towards Interstate 22.

As I pulled on to the highway, I tuned my car radio to WALY 103.9 so I could continue to listen to their roster of golden oldie tunes as I cruised home.

Along the way, I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to be the owner of one of the fancy cars that I had seen at the museum grounds. Well, maybe one day, I thought. But first, I'd have to clean out my garage to make room for such a treasure. Suddenly, my plans for a new car began to dim. See also Autos: VW - "Herbie the Love Bug"

Close-up of the Swigart Museum Front Entrance

More automobiles at the Swigart Museum Car Show

Swigart Museum Lobby

An assortment of early 20th century vehicles