Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
It transformed the lives of millions of Americans.
And now, 75 years later, the Ford Motor Company's Model T is being commemorated with a tour along the historic Lincoln Highway (U.S. 30).
The 10 millionth Model T to roll off the assembly line in 1924 drove through Warsaw Wednesday, and local representatives of the Lincoln Highway Association used the occasion to again highlight the city's importance in regard to old U.S. 30.
"I joined the Lincoln Highway Association in 1995. At that time, I talked to the state president in Plymouth and he wanted to know what happened to the old highway marker that used to be in Warsaw," said Marjorie Priser. "This tour has no link to the highway. But since we are the only town in the state to have the original highway marker still standing, the tour decided to stop here."
According to Pam Kennedy, city building inspector and a member of the highway association, the historic marker was found and re-erected in 1995 with the help of area Boy Scouts. Since that time, the property owners surrounding Funk Park (at Lake and Perry streets) have adopted the marker and seen to it that it is well cared for.
"The Boy Scouts did a good job of letting the surrounding homeowners know what the marker is and how significant it is," she said. "Since that time, we've had no vandalism or anything else done to it."
The 1924 Model T is owned by Dr. Alan Hathaway of New York. It departed Battery Park in New York City June 6 and is scheduled to arrive in San Francisco June 19.
