Heads Of Curation & Communication Speak On History, Process & Love For All Types Of Vehicles
The history of automobiles and their evolution has always been a boon for collectors and museum buffs. Cars reflect the nature of a time or the psychology and mindset of a national. The design reflects the aesthetic and even the technology of a given time. At the Antique Automobile Club Of America Museum, just outside Hershey, Pennsylvania, that love and attention to detail is in full effect. The Buzz visited the museum during the Hershey RV Show to discuss different auspices with Nancy Gates, director of communications and Stan Sipko, collections coordinator including process of acquisition, pop culture connections and even a 1917 Packard Motor Home they pulled specially out of storage.
The Buzz: First off Stan could you tell us about the motorhome you brought out?
Stan Sipko: It is a 1917 Packard Twin 6 2-35 Motorhome. It was donated by Dick Syboltz of Grove, Oklahoma. This is basically how we received it. He had restored it years back. He had taken it to many different shows and events and he even had it in a museum for quite a while. It was there on loan but then the museum started moving in a different direction. He decided to donate to us. When this was first built the kitchen we'll call it…that was all powered by gasoline. It wasn't propane. It was basically like some of the old heaters they used to have. With the ice chest, that was just old school. [For the small bathroom] they did have a holding tank back in the day. Basically it has a 12 cylinder motor with six on each side which is why they call it a Twin 6. It could be crank started but I doubt anybody would have.
The Buzz: When you are looking for these kinds of vehicles, how do you vet and select what you accept?
SS: Basically what we look at...[for example]…you don't see one of these [1917 Packard Motorhome]...at all. Our visitors...we try to give them the best experience that we can and something like this…educational-wise...you'll never see one again anywhere else. We try to get vehicles that have some type of historical significance. There is a Packard registry that I believe this is registered with. One of the goals for this in the next year or so is we are going to try to get it running and drive it down to the fall meet in October when they have the big car show. I think this would do really well down there. I think people would love to see it. We also have a 1923 O'Connell Supertruck which is just solid rubber tires. It's different. You'll never see one [of those] again [either]. Also once we figure out what the exhibit is going to be, we get Nancy to contact different media outlets and give a wish list. What will happen is people will contact us with vehicles that we are looking for...to loan them to us for the exhibit.
The Buzz: From that standpoint Nancy, how do you continue the work as pertaining to securing said vehicles?
Nancy Gates: [For] some of our exhibits we have guest curators that work with us...usually someone from that internal community. That is the easiest of roads because you have somebody who is integrated into that community and they know where every nook and cranny is. For example with a particular exhibit right now we are doing with off-roaders, it happens to be the 50th anniversary of the Ford Bronco and the 75th anniversary of Jeep so that is where we started in that particular process. So we just started there with the premise. Here are two icons...two significant anniversaries this year so it is probably the year to do off-roaders. Then what else can we find that is different and significant that we can add to the mix to make it interesting for visitors.
The Buzz: Can you talk about the proximity to Hershey and especially the RV show which has become such a big draw?
NG: We have always had people, even before the RV show was here so close, who would come and stay at the campgrounds for a week...two weeks… a month. They were always looking for things of interest to do...in a particular area. Obviously they have an interest in vehicles of some sort because they have an RV or 4-wheel-drive vehicle or a motorcycle. This area of Pennsylvania has also really been a hotbed in terms of history and vehicle history for 50...maybe 75 years depending on which show you are talking. It is kind of a natural extension that the AACA Museum would come to be here. The building here has been open to the public for about 13 years. It has really come full circle from the club and from the show which we were sort of born from. We are a separate entity from them and have a separate sort of mission but it all relates back to preserving vehicle history [including questions like]...”Where has it been?” “Where is it going?” And “What are we moving toward in the future?”
The Buzz: Can you talk about the balance at the AACA between education and history?
NG: We try to do a little bit of everything for all age groups. I think, depending on the age of the visitor, you each take away something different from the experience. For some of our older visitors, from earlier in the 1900s, they might remember this or they might remember hearing stories about this from their parents or grandparents. Younger kids look at this and think "What is this?"
The Buzz: And the range of vehicles is progressive?
NG: So we start off in the early 1890s. Our earliest vehicle here is an 1895 Benton Harbor and then we go cross country decade by decade in different scenes and settings. Our lower level also has the Museum of Bus Transportation. There are about 12 full size antique buses in addition to the one we saw by the road.
The Buzz: You also have a very rare collection of Tucker automobiles…
NG: There are 47 Tuckers that were made and of those that exist today, 3 of those are at the AACA Museum. So if you want to see a Tucker or memorabilia related to Tucker, this is really the place to come. Not only do we have 3 here, we also have Tucker 1001 which is the first production Tucker. We also have the only surviving Tucker with automatic transmission. [We also have] lots of Tucker experimental engines. We have a factory test chassis. We also have thousands of factory blueprints that we are in the process of getting scanned. This exhibit will evolve for many years to come as we continue to go through the collection. But 3 Tuckers...you don't see these Tucker automobiles. They are a number of them that are in private collections behind closed doors that no one will probably ever see. The grandson of Preston Tucker as well as the great grandsons and the great great grandsons all work with us as historical advisors. They were also here when we started kicking off the fundraising campaign plus they have been here since. But one artifact we have is my favorite in the exhibit. It is actually from the family. Preston Tucker started working on all his creations in a barn at the Tucker family home. We actually have the barn door from the Tucker Farm. It is one of my very favorite pieces of history that we have here.
Tim Wassberg
A graduate of New York University's Tisch School Of The Arts with degrees in Film/TV Production & Film Criticism, Tim has written for magazines such as Moviemaker, Moving Pictures, Conde Nast Traveler UK and Casino Player. He enjoys traveling and distinct craft beers among other things.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Hickory Run Campground, which is nestled in the beautiful countryside of northern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Hickory Run is only a short drive away from many local attractions including the famous Green Dragon Farmer's Market and the Historic Ephrata Cloister.