How do you adequately describe a yard sale encompassing four states and over 800 miles? How about calling it the great American road trip and one of the country’s best treasure hunts rolled into one! That captures the essence of the Lincoln “Buy”way, an event that takes place Thursday through Sunday, each year on the second full weekend in August. It’s one of the country’s longest yard sales, spanning Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa along one of the most historically significant roads in the country - the Lincoln Highway, making a horizontal cross on the map when compared to the path the 127 Yard Sale follows.
The Lincoln Buyway began in 2005, making this the 13th anniversary of the popular regional yard sale. The intent of events like the Lincoln Buyway is to get folks off the interstate and driving through rural communities and small towns they wouldn’t otherwise experience.
Sharon Strouse, chair of the National Scenic Byway Foundation says, "Scenic Byways are part of the two trillion dollar travel industry in America. Events such as the Lincoln Buyway draw visitors anywhere from a single day to multiple days along the route. Festivals, events, and authentic experiences attract travelers, and the communities along the Byway benefit from those travel industry dollars." And, they do draw their share of visitors! More than 100,000 national and even international shoppers can hit sales like the Buyway.
A little backdrop is in order since the highway itself is part of what makes the event so noteworthy. The Lincoln Highway was the first paved intercontinental road in the U.S. Built in 1913, it eventually spanned 3,000 miles from New York to San Francisco. The road was conceived by Carl Fisher, an early maker of automobile headlamps, who believed the success of the automobile depended on a network of good roads.
The road also became the first national memorial to President Lincoln. Henry B. Joy, who was president of Packard Motor Company in the early 1900s, championed the idea of naming the road in honor of Lincoln. Well after the numbered U.S. highway system associated it with U.S. Route 30, it earned the nickname, “the Main Street of America.”
“Sales held in churches and/or schools are a top find.” [Photo/William Flood]
A little clarification is in order. Many people commonly associate the Lincoln Highway strictly with Route 30; however, shoppers who intend on following the Buyway should be aware that U.S. 30 is often an area four-lane highway and sales are not found there. Rather, the actual Lincoln Highway is part of old alignments like old U.S. 30 and can include other state or county roads. The website for the Lincoln Highway Association has maps and information regarding older alignments and which roads to follow.
In Ohio, a free traveler’s guide is distributed by the Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway group. Executive Director Mike Hocker said, "The guide is very helpful since many people are confused about where the Lincoln runs. There are different alignments and much of it simply renamed as US Route 30." He added, "The guides can be found along the highway at participating businesses. Just ask at local retailers, restaurants, and gas stations along the Byway.”
The Lincoln Buyway provides almost endless opportunities to pull over and shop. Whether you’re traveling east or west, you’ll find mile upon mile of sales in people’s yards, in vacant lots, along sidewalks in towns, and congregated in fields or parking lots of local businesses.
Determining which sales deserve a stop is part of the thrill. Sometimes, it’s a case of “monkey see, monkey do” as a passel of parked cars catches your attention. Your eyes are always scanning for clumps of tents, signs or balloons along the roadside. Signs for barn sales can be siren call drawing you down a country road like a magnet.
Then, there’s the thrill of the hunt, because you’ll never know what you’ll find. A random stop might lead to tables of vintage kitchenware, vinyl records, or country primitives. Some merchandise is typical to rural communities - canning jars, antique tools, and farm furniture, for example. A buyer near Mifflin Township, Ohio had a pickup truck loaded with late 19th-century furniture acquired from one small town sale. He showed me what he purchased and said, “My prize score is a century-old wheelbarrow I snagged for just $15. I plan to restore it.”
Near Charles Mill Lake, at the former Lakeside Motel, Marilyn Wise was participating in the Buyway for the second time. She reported that Thursday was, by far, the most heavily trafficked day. Most of her furniture sold early. Friday suffered from rain but she acknowledged shoppers were still there, wet or not. Saturday was busy, although she indicated her sale was fairly picked over from Thursday. When asked what she thought of selling at the event, she said, “I’ve done quite well so far. If I can keep this up, I plan to continue participating each year.” Many recognized the property once was a 1950’s-era motel and kept her busy with questions. She noted, “The motel once had 10 units, but today, it no longer serves as lodging. The former office is now my home and the one remaining motel building we rent out as apartments.”
There is a charm in driving an historic route like the Lincoln Highway. It draws people from impressive distances, so don’t be surprised to bump into shoppers from out-of-state or even from outside of the country. Many travelers plan to hit every state along the route. Some drive RVs for their overnights. Others drive vehicles pulling trailers and will book lodging at a vintage motel or local campground.
The inherent charm becomes even more profound when you get out of your car and walk the small towns and communities you’d likely not otherwise visit. Maybe you’ll stumble upon a quaint antique store or a local diner for lunch. If you’re watchful, maybe you’ll come across a vintage dairy bar like Munchies near Ashland, Ohio and grab a real-deal milkshake, handmade by a local high-schooler. There were 10 cars in Munchies’ lot at 10:00 AM as shoppers hit the collection of vendors onsite and enjoyed food and drinks from the restaurant. At that one stop, there were travelers from as far away and Florida and Tennessee. One patron said, “I drive the sale each year. It’s an annual road trip for me. I plan to drive all of Ohio; my ideal route would be to get through Indiana.”
Less than a half hour from Munchies, Octogenarian Bob Bowlen had six buildings at his picturesque farm near Hayesville, Ohio open for the sale. They were filled with everything from art pottery to farm implements and country collectibles. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was greeted by what appeared to be an historic log cabin sitting next to a barn painted with a full-height Mail Pouch Tobacco sign. Both by the way, along with everything else there, were either made by Bob or part of his lifetime collection.
Bob and his late wife Marta were collectors since they were young newlyweds during the Korean War era. They lived on the property since 1963, and after his wife passed, Bob realized it was time to thin the years of accumulated stuff; hence, participating in the sale.
After spending nearly an hour with Bob, learning of his history and the couple’s love affair with each other and with their collections, he pointed me to a large poem displayed for visitors. Marta was the poet who had penned the heartwarming piece narrating the couple’s decades of collecting and how it defined their life together. In moments like those, you realize the treasure of these sales isn’t really the stuff. It’s the people you meet along the way.