The Champlain Valley Transportation Museum is located at 12 Museum Way adjacent to the Clinton County Historical Association. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children 6 to 12. Tours can also be scheduled by e-mail at tours@cvtmuseum.com or by calling 566-7575.
Staff Writer
PLATTSBURGH — The Champlain Valley Transportation Museum continues to grow in leaps and bounds as several new vehicles are on display through the winter.
The museum, started a decade ago by a small group of automotive enthusiasts dedicated to promoting the region's connection with the historic Lozier automobile, features a variety of 20th-century vehicles and other older forms of transportation.
"There's always something new happening here," said Head Docent Richard Soper, who conducts tours through the museum with emphatic zest for the history of each vehicle on display.
For instance, the museum is currently displaying a 1900, 22-foot passenger launch that was built in Plattsburgh when the Lozier Co. focused its efforts on boat building.
The vessel, sailed each summer on Lake Champlain by owners Fred and Noreen Brown, is temporarily docked alongside other museum transportation vehicles.
Plattsburgh's Joyce Huntley loaned three vehicles to the museum, including a 1950 Indian brand motorcycle, a 1927 Pierce-Arrow built in Buffalo and a 1930 Model A Huckster, manufactured by Ford.
"The car was built by Ford up to the windshield, but the rest of the vehicle was made of wood and built under contract by other companies," Soper said.
The Huckster was often used by farmers for picking fruits and vegetables and then for selling the produce to customers from the back storage bins.
"It's your early version of the farmers market," he added.
The Pierce-Arrow's novelty are the headlights the company placed directly on the front fenders as opposed to the traditional placement on either side of the front grill.
Alongside the museum's two signature Lozier automobiles sits another new addition, a 1917 Paige touring car, a vehicle that cost $2,000 less than the Lozier's typical asking price of $3,500.
Another unique vehicle now on display is a seven-eights scale model reproduction of a 1903 Oldsmobile, a vehicle that utilized a lever-style steering system rather than a steering wheel.
"We're hoping to soon have a collection devoted to the horseless carriage," Soper said. "This (Oldsmobile) is our bridge to that collection."
There is also a 1914 "Redbug" scooter newly on display. The two-seated vehicle sits low to the ground and was used by the Jekyll Island private resort in Georgia because resort owners did not want the congestion created by larger vehicles.
Another addition to the collection also promoted a smaller-sized vehicle. The 1960 BMW Isetta is a three-wheel compact vehicle that was designed by Italian engineer Renzo Rivolta because parking space was limited in Italian municipalities.
The museum's edition, which was actually built in England, is a one-door sedan, with access to the car through a front hatch that swings outward, windshield included.
Also on loan is a 1911 Kissel Kar, an unrestored vehicle that is still operational and in excellent condition.
In fact, the car's owner drove the Kissel from Vermont a few weeks ago, arriving at the museum with goggles and a leather skull cap as if walking out of a page from a 1911 touring guide.
There's lots more of the region's transportation history on display at the museum, with Soper always eager to tell each vehicle's personal story.
E-mail Jeff Meyers at: jmeyers@pressrepublican.com
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
