Shively Motors, Dodge and Chrysler dealership in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, has a very interesting car museu that not many people are here know about. They have 25 or so cars of different ages.
Shippensburg Historical Society members learned about it because we have an antique car. It’s a 1910 Overland and there are possibly only several in the world. It’s an amazing old thing. It’s not in working order now and hasn’t been for a few years because parts that need to be replaced aren’t readily available; some have to be made special.
It takes special knowledge to drive this because things were so different back then. We used to know a man who knew how to drive it and he would drive it in the local parades. I got to take a ride in it in a parade one night, and it was an amazing thing to consider the car’s history as we rode thru town.
The man who drove it said he never liked to go above 25mph because the car started to shake at that speed. 🙂
Notice (on the sign with the car) the things that were burned for headlights and driving lamps: all that was dangerous. You cranked it to start and if you didn’t let go of the crank immediately after it started, the crank would break your arm! The seat where people sat in the front was……..the gas tank! Driving, and riding, in early automobiles was a risky thing to do.
We asked Shively Motors General Manager Bryan Burkholder if they would want to display our car in their Mopar museum. The car is an Overland, which later became Willys/Jeep so it fits right in their museum. He wanted to display it, so his staff picked the car up and took it to the museum. Then they shined it up like it hasn’t shined for years when we had it in storage. Some of the paint is flaking off and some of the leather is showing wear. But they cleaned everything to make it look good and the brass fixtures look like new. This car was an expensive item in its time.
We are proud to have our car displayed among so many other beautiful and well restored cars. The museum also has pictures and other memorabilia of people who have worked for the dealership and information about the dealership thru the years of its history.
It’s all fascinating whether you’re a “car person” or not, just because they all look like they’re new. Interesting stories include for instance………….did you know one type of car used to have a record player in it? It had its own records but there was a lot of music on each one. Who knew!
If you live near here you should come to see this museum. The museum is open to the public during business hours and you can just walk in. If you call ahead, you can arrange a time for Bryan to give you such an informative tour! He has stories to tell about many of the cars and how/where they got them from.
Sarasin's thoughts....... 
Cars looked so beautiful years ago. My friend owned a classic Ford Mustang convertible from the 70’s. It was so much fun to drive such a wonderful car.
Ahh yes I remember the old Mustangs. My son had one years ago and I drove it a few times. It was a convertible too.
My favorite cars were Buicks, but my best vehicle was a Dodge!
When we toured the museum we had some discussion about it being only the passenger who was messing with the record player………..we hoped. 🙂
My Pa’s best friend from high school drove a car with a record player in it. It might have been his Pa’s car. My Pa makes fun of it now, but I remind him that he added an 8-track tape player to his 1967 Chevelle, and really believed that it was cool.
Oh yea we all had 8 tracks. They didn’t take as much thought process or hand activity to make the music happen as a record player tho.
John Denver, Helen Reddy and the Carpenters all paused in the middle of at least one of their songs while the device clicked loudly to change tracks. At least one of the other songs that were uninterrupted was followed by a pause to occupy space until the end of the tape. Typically, only one song ended at the end of the tape. It now seems so weird.
A long time ago now, all fixed by CDs then. No skips and took up so much less space. We’ve come a long ways with music technology.
but like the cars, the music is not what it used to be. There are SO many modern cars available, but not one Electra. There is SO much music to listen to, but no Karen Carpenter.
Ha, no, the good music is all just in the past now. This stuff they produce today (and for many years) is NOT music.
Perhaps the artificial intelligence that produces it likes it.
Yea, and today’s kids.
Perhaps, but that may be because they do not think for themselves anymore.
No, critical thinking and common sense and all that good stuff are mostly gone.
and stylish cars.
I knew horseless carriages were different long ago, but wow!!
So cool your car is there.
I love the ’69 Camaro & many with similar bada&&ery. 🙂 But, I think old cars & trucks are appreciable, restored & mods.
The whole place is fascinating. Some have been wonderfully restored,and others are pretty original, just having been taken good care of.