Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Our Visit to the Canton Classic Car Musum

With about a 2 hour layover in Canton, OH during the first ever Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Total Track Tour on Saturday, September 29, 2007, Chuck and I decided to check out the Canton Classic Car Museum. We both like classic cars and other transportation history, but this place was so much more than that.

The general manager was a very enthusiastic spokesperson for the museum and spent the entire time of our visit going from one exhibit to another to speak about various cars and other items within the collection. She was very knowledgeable, friendly and very happy to have over 100 guests come in at one time.

Char, the museum manager, stands on one of the oldest cars to address
our tour group. It's a 1901 Oldsmobile curved dash in running condition!

After a brief orientation from Char, Chuck and I made our way slowly through the museum. The background of the museum is that the owner of the cars had a wife who wasn't as interested in cars and felt there should be more for people to look at than old cars. She collected all the other great stuff found in the museum.

Some of the wife's eclectic collection has to do with automobiles such as gas station memorabilia, old advertising signs, fantastic hood ornaments, and toys. There are also old bicycles in pristine condition, antique rugs that cover a lot of the floor area, and many interesting artifacts of all kinds throughout the entire museum including tools, electrical items, and vintage clothing. Many McKinley collectibles and commemoratives are found in several display cases too.

Old advertising tin signs are everywhere inside the museum.

Some of the cars, antique rugs, and shelves full of collectibles are seen above.

More classic cars with period dressed mannequins line the path.

This car was built for a wealthy woman who grew up in an Amish
family and she wanted the passenger area to resemble a buggy.

One of my favorite lamps of all time is seen above.

Chuck stopped long enough between rooms for a picture.

This museum is SO much more than classic one-of-a-kind cars! If you ever get the chance to go to Canton Ohio, make a point of stopping in the Classic Car Museum. If you like cool old stuff, you will LOVE this place!