One summer weekend in 1921, President Warren G. Harding went car camping. He rode out to western Maryland, where a fleet of cars awaited: under a soaring white tent, the president dined in the wilderness with Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and the other “Vagabonds,” who had spent every summer since 1914 exploring the country in a caravan of cars. Each year, their set-up grew more elaborate: in 1919, their camping trip required 50 cars, including one specially built to keep their food refrigerated.
They camped at a site about six miles east of Hancock in Washington County. The 200-acre farm where they made camp was located about one mile north of the National Turnpike along Licking Creek. Today, the campsite lies inside Camp Harding County Park. A plaque memorializes the gathering of these famous campers.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQUqRxZ_VjhafQwF8iFB-QZz-Pz9xzv69C6rYYiy0vPcfOrTzbYICiYKgYeRY2tvhwyxLN216YjoK0aBJAT4MmnUZjHCHbYmoYq6SsPNylXbyJlS_5geosaOOjw7NTQoclJeO-ug3cqO5/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-1.jpg) |
Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren Harding, Harvy Firestone and group near cabin, Firestone camp. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga00HronMxOpiIthBF-H4e84cpTwYMEoBHD4kyB0CzMlvV3qLd3zJcf7QQZruPFSs9LunxWYd6nN6_Ijlsi7Uqtg09xvuGMohXtsVyygIFNelUEi1-Eps-Auu75vsH9RNOKb0d63sg06jV/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-2.jpg) |
Thomas Edison, Warren Harding and others seated at table. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVv3kUkKRtINzB-CxLd-KNhzXbrPhCfBzDhvY_2TctaEQBIm5dhUpac7jNYg_TTVwWMYBO6N1LIfZVbFsCGZkwMWtnXGoYo4yDv5AOUkudiKlHRHyuH1fSEnDSsch3wWEO2I0s2tv_flst/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-3.jpg) |
Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren Harding and Harvey Firestone near cabin. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM87pIL5aBl3F1sArt29ZOX5blb7q1GzxTnQnMg3f5oqjYXR5E8oTFbzH9uPbc6VrlpLYZGKwk-avR1MvQ9xN6BY4y0P0LAmFaRSQtc9JpEmSHHtkKkxVIx5EjFTjKSaN1wi-DQppZ9THo/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-4.jpg) |
Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren Harding, Harvey Firestone, and others. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8-fmErSzjCbMbmEnjfq8srU9fOatiqvMxycnc4Qt2vqaGe9iQXeSKP8rAB3WYqHNkkWgZJ2ZvPhN052HUCJcDQmSeky2Er1id1SZiNfUzO0M90ZQ0k9sAkTOponi04wZsz2YQsDsk6UE/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-5.jpg) |
Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren Harding, Harvey Firestone, and others. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XvmjXCEF4mWPZ7BrxXv0WT25COXbyyzm-eciIy69yjV5W4nt94Qc3oWG0v83gyTequ-8hYYtPKED5fTw5VSHpuI33ZggUYQqOFgLPkGQpspOCeVB7z2VSoYG3il-VcSqeInRn30BPeS6/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-6.jpg) |
Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren Harding and Harvey Firestone. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV0EJ-Cg-10Rm05rkCeLuAyxzaWitCoA9cHaZGXgtXzS1CH8rd9o_E_Rc7XaOHmNwN0z50aPQALomCboek82h2dP7UUH1MSB91_PIZ1FyoDuHCJ0oR37whFyuzvr8-p2c0G4T5wWj9Sud/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-7.jpg) |
Thomas Edison, Warren Harding, and others. Dinner at Firestone camp. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbmT7kZlmiirrXU_vjQbtzV5J6uY-7irz2Z0P-ZT-LW8fMPrpcnCzfyMBJ0bgbyB7TPd35DSPR6qZbIyq1A_LdZ_cNsZ8Z0UDICa0ZYztZVyWqmSgrXUhL3ALudBQgXdaRvR0Gg3UEcaH/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-8.jpg) |
Thomas Edison, Warren Harding, Henry Ford, and others. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_40djQVJNzQxuhHv1ALX-1t33y8AOZ915LCvqIw4kZ2QSU9mUXaf1MegjVMHr7LvDQ5C9Lx1MXLzo6ExcdVlmuVCQ4VvUdTb8colhRxe7uA7A7f1cSaLjLi5bzVXe8LP3C_SALBpLKp0/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-9.jpg) |
Harding at Firestone camp. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSZ7LVUW_lzPvjFMg-qOM6hJPZdCeRcEhvpUSAERuzqjj5Aur86MYkNiBRPI15rSTmf-7Pjcb_FHOSlA7dRPew8nXwuMnzO_3Pro1GKbq1_tMPDoukTlrO1ccTzydJQvk2wAsZyD7MSq1/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-10.jpg) |
Harding at Firestone camp. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTay7oNhpJkcmR23oOYXgw9i4mvj8KzVddMhFUJqXAWF6kyAEenakF3Y761bgxARHvHSeEe9sEYpeo6npaeANyOxbn0jHHEMxZbBEHkgb36Wn0tM3b9bx2bTep8SAA0D57hWmDanwCXfS/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-11.jpg) |
Harding in camp. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTt4AikfN4ViMFdUuuTrd4cnKWlh_bpU5gk8IbubVi5CwHf8piK07ss5BWXUZsTDaWowPezBmnMaP2fy8rMN0CoU7fSgpDNLBM9wx598sRxBov5VxNbNLPkwCorvmGpCInrdw9VBGCrGN/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-12.jpg) |
Harding in camp. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RysezZAAERpcNsGsk0mdc6XDnJvQzpRNLkKn4cDLpVJ_8_-qNh5fUd_ebzBZtdRlc-Ta6QKdnIdNRJlxxIxilSiizDhLncz-FVYGFI9jpazyPnbGF8uL6aHCcU7VoOCrLETQ4NxByG8A/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-14.jpg) |
Harding in camp. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7gdi_c54Lo5v6-809siHX4mn5kON3hztOLKvSGgC177bpRDyofZK3QH-pYy4lQlhfNhNIzsxEmXzjcVZViNK8tEE7CvivUTThSSvKSv12QkSBN74eI34x3_mpt7jcn-4UJSURZKe5K7Q/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-15.jpg) |
Harding at Firestone camp. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-aVREcjsWaMuuyHAecMx_eEcR37uGanFzqCRw_W3b7P5DWz-AgL-uIXqj0DPJNG4KHnN6sHjFUJ2fSEsgp1v_sVNN_br0XgjaPK4muebUdT1bjV3HxQxxevA1QEWKMESFBB-kjgVgIzRt/s640-rw/harding-camping-1921-13.jpg) |
Harding at Ford camp. |
(Images:
Library of Congress)
0 comments:
Post a Comment