Spirit of '39
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An adventure relived
Spirit of '39
The Spirit of '39 takes off in 2017
In 1939, my grandfather built a bus out of junk yard materials and went on a two-month cross country road trip with six of his friends. They started in Florham Park, NJ and ended in San Francisco, CA. They went west following the Lincoln Highway and returned on historic routes 66 and 40.
Seventy-eight years after my grandfather's trip, I set out to retrace his route. What did he see? What has changed in the nearly eight decades since? Can one still have as free-spirited of an adventure in 2017 as they did in 1939? These questions and the chance to relive a family legend were the driving forces behind my month-long trip.
Lauren Herbine
Adventurer. Researcher. Student.
Who am I and how did this project come about? My name is Lauren Herbine, I'm a senior at The College of William & Mary, and a Monroe Scholar. As a Scholar, I am given the opportunity to propose a research project on any topic, with the possibility of getting it funded for the summer. In my family, my Grandfather's story has been told over and over, and I've always dreamed of following in his footsteps. It has always seemed like something out of an adventure novel, and I wanted to be a part of it. Wouldn't it be cool to share it with the world, too? With my proposal approved Fall of 2016, I got to preparing, and set out 78 years and a day after my grandfather did (July 11th, 2017). Traveling with a friend, alone, and my dad (a wonderful surprise visit!), I followed the ghosts of seven teenage boys from Florham Park, New Jersey to California and back. This site, the audio files, historic research, and StoryMap are an attempt to capture that strong sense of spirit felt in 1939 and today.
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