S S Grand View Point Ship Hotel Bedford, PA (More items)

More items from my "SS Grand View Ship Hotel" collection. This was such a fun place to visit! I was fortunate to visit the ship a few times as a child and once prior to it catching fire and burning to the ground. It was perched on a steep hillside. The owner of the ship loved sitting in the dining room on foggy days because it seemed as if the ship were out to sea. The ship was located near Bedford, Pennsylvania

PLEASE NOTE: The chair pictured is one of those shown in the old post card of the dining room. I have previously posted more of the dinnerware that was used daily at the ship. The gravy boat and menus are my latest finds.

From the Internet:

“SEE 3 STATES AND 7 COUNTIES – SOUVENIRS – POST CARDS- VISITORS WELCOME- FREE TELEPHONE”

When I first glanced at this slide I thought I was looking at an old docked river boat. But no! After a closer look I discovered that the Lincoln Highway’s most famous landmark is a fake. It looks so real; those smoke stacks so convincing. There’s even a lighthouse.
The charming novelty hotel was built in 1932 on a picture-perfect spot where motorists stopped and enjoyed the view of the beautiful Allegheny Mountains. During the ship’s heyday there were many notable guests including Joan Crawford. The ship thrived through the 1930s; after the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940 business drastically declined.
After years of sinking business the hotel was sold in 1978. The new owners thought they would take the theme to the extreme and rename the ship Noah’s Ark – so they did. Sadly they couldn’t make a go of it and the hotel closed again just a few years later. As it fell into even further disrepair “Save Our Ship” efforts were organized by Lincoln Highway history buffs and local preservationists. After years of hard work and dedication their dreams of having the hotel re-open went up in smoke. On October 26th, 2001 at 2:30 AM, the once grand Ship burned to the ground. Cause of the blaze unknown.