Car Museum

Volo, Illinois is the place. Started as a car museum, it now includes artifacts from the Titanic, tractors, trucks and campers among other things. Boats, too.

Our tour started with cars of the 50’s and 60’s. We noted very few if any 40’s, the cars of my very early youth. Our family had a 1941 Pontiac, followed by a ’51 Dodge and then a ’56 Buick. Dad replaced the Buick with a ’61 Ford Galaxie. The Buick became my drive around vehicle, and later to college in Illinois but only in my Senior year.

It was during the ‘40’s that Dad and I competed in naming car models and their model year. We both got quite good at it, me even dabbling back to the 30’s models. By the 50’s, we were in high gear! Then my college years in the 60’s saw me replace the old Buick with a 65 Mustang: poppy red with white interior. Quite the snazzler following graduation.

I was and am still addicted to cars. The Mustang was replaced with a 66 Chrysler 300, then a 67 Mustang, then seminary years. Ann had a 67 or 68 Camero following her college graduation and we used that as our primary transportation after our wedding in 1968. It took some time to replace that car with a 72 Chevrolet wagon, full size. A behemoth but so practical for a young family. 1978 witnessed our next car, another Chevrolet wagon. After that was a succession of new models, each driven many miles. As the kids grew up, our fleet numbered 5 cars including a company vehicle for me. My personal treasure was a 67 Chrysler 300 convertible followed later by an 87 Mustang GT convertible which I drove for many years, even to Arizona and back several times.

So, the Volo Museum promised to be quite the memory lane for me. Alas, many of its 50’s and 60’s cars had been sold years before. I found a Camero that echoed our 1967 from years before.

We poked around in other exhibits but soon hungered for lunch and an early drive back home. It was a full day and wonderful. Pam had reserved an electric scooter for me, so I sat and rode throughout the large museum complex of several buildings. I suspect Pam was much more tired from walking behind me the entire time!

Like the Volo Museum, car shows offered throughout the summer in many communities are also a trip down memory lane. I just missed the big exhibit in Warrenville but will keep my eyes open for others before the snow flies.

August 11, 2025

 

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