Breezewood, Pennsylvania
Posted by: YoSam.
N 40° 00.005 W 078° 14.035
17T E 736127 N 4431431
This travel plaza made the town when the turnpike was created.
Waymark Code: WMW0JV
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 06/22/2017
Views: 4
County of town: Bedford County
Location of town: E. border of county; crossroads of US-30 (THE Lincoln Hwy) & Pennsylvania Turnpike
County is Central and Southern border county in state
Elevation: 1749 feet (533 m)
Population: town not counted, 1,4403 in the Zip Code
"The Town of Motels is where the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the Lincoln Highway, and Route 70 meet - and where weary travelers have rested since General Forbes widened the original Native American trail into a wagon road. The Forbes Road became the Lincoln Highway, and when the Turnpike was completed in 1940, the stage was set. After the construction of Interstate 70, Breezewood grew into the sprawling, charmingly kitschy town it is today. Families, truckers, souvenir collectors, and photographers all appreciate the visual variety and commercial convenience of this traveler's oasis. For those suffering from neon fatigue or car-weariness, the simple beauty of Felten's Mill Covered Bridge provides respite. Built in 1892, the 100-foot bridge is not open to vehicular traffic." ~ Visit Pennsylvania
"Shortly after the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1841, Snyder's Gateway Inn was one of the first businesses to appear. Merle and Marian Snyder opened the restaurant shortly before World War II began and eventually supplied fuel to the military convoys. The turnpike exit at Breezewood was one of the original eleven interchanges, which transformed the rural small town into a tourist capital. The town was a crossroads where people were looking to ride or transfer. This stretch of the Lincoln Highway is now enhanced with motels and restaurants and is considered "the gateway in the south," hence the name Gateway. The Gateway Travel Plaza provides a wide range of accommodations including lodging, dining, retail and rest areas." ~ Historic Marker erected by Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor