THE HOBO CODE: THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF AMERICA’S WORKING CLASS

Featured · September 24, 2023

Ask anyone who lived during the Great Depression, and they’ll share the toll it took on the health and heart. The sudden halt of the economy, which struck on October 19, 1929, — forever known …

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LEGENDARY BESSIE STRINGFIELD MOTORCYCLE QUEEN

Bessie Stringfield, the “Motorcycle Queen of Miami”, broke barriers for women and African-American cyclists. Throughout her life she completed eight solo cross-country tours and served as a U.S. Army motorcycle dispatch rider. In 2002, she …

ABANDONED BUILDINGS: BETHLEHEM STEEL

One of the most fascinating buildings of the Industrial Revolution is the Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. At their peak, it was the world’s second largest steel producer and THE largest shipbuilder. Its decline is often …

INDEPENDENCE DAY ON TWO LANES

The Fourth of July On Main Street Two Lane Towns Celebrate Independence Day Here in Nashville, Tennessee, months of planning have been underway for what promises to be one the BIGGEST Fourth of July festivities in …

HISTORIC NASHVILLE: NASHVILLE NINE NOMINATIONS

Saving Nashville’s Historic Buildings – It’s Now or Never! In a city that is growing so rapidly that cranes dot our skylines, high rise buildings take the place where some of our history once stood. …

NATIONAL CAMERA DAY

Stop & Take a Photo – It’s National Camera Day! Not many things have changed history in quite the way that the camera has. Walking around with one in our pocket thanks to those handy smart …

DAREDEVILS OF THE WALL OF DEATH

The Wall of Death & Its Traveling Troupe of Daredevils Ah….Coney Island, 1911, a time when the smell of motor oil began to intermingle with the scents of popcorn on the carnival midway. The reason? Moto …

A DAY OF CELEBRATION FOR THE PATRIOTIC POP!

It’s National Bomb Pop Day! For most adults, eating a bomb pop on a hot summer day takes them for a stroll down memory lane. Every time I eat one, I am reminded of the little …

THE HISTORY OF FATHER’S DAY

The History of Father’s Day – The Holiday That Almost Wasn’t Having been a recognized day of celebration for just over 100 years in the United States, Father’s Day is a relatively new tradition. Inspired by …

HOMER’S TATE’S ODDITIES & ATTRACTION

Homer Tate – Curator and Creator of the Macabre Objects become collectible for so many reasons. Sometimes, it is simply their rarity. Other times, we are drawn to the collecting of things that remind us of …

TONY SARGE: MACY’S THANKSGIVING PARADE & THE GIANT SEA SERPENT HOAX

The Man Behind The Great Sea Serpent Of Nantucket Who doesn’t remember the excitement of waking up to The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on television every year as a young child? There is something fascinating about …

WHERE IS IT NOW – THE “BIG BOOT”

I’ve had so many people ask me about what happened to the “big boot”. We had it first in Iowa, then moved it to Nashville when we opened the store in 2011. We soon needed …

THERE IS NOTHING GREATER THAN THE OUTDOORS

Get Outside! June is National Great Outdoors Month Few things are as American as the State and National parks that represent our natural heritage, and June is a whole month dedicated to exploring them! What started …

MEMORIAL DAY: THEN & NOW

The History Of Memorial Day We all have moments when we need to be reminded that our holidays aren’t just about time off to spend with family. Today’s traditions on Memorial Day involve baseball, cookouts and …

NASHVILLE FASHION ALLIANCE: BUILDING A BRIDGE TO BRING JOBS HOME

Nashville Fashion Alliance It Starts in Nashville But Means So Much More Everyone who lives in one of America’s small towns or spends time visiting them is aware of the way they have been impacted …

THE MEANING IN THE MILES: NATIONAL ODOMETER DAY

National Odometer Day – May 12 National Odometer Day is celebrated each year on May 12. Who knew that there’s a day to celebrate the odometer? More than likely, you’re aware that an odometer is an …

NOT MY CIRCUS, NOT MY MONKEYS

The “Pics” You Can’t Resist Circus Monkey Art Who doesn’t love to monkey around? In all seriousness, though, you can’t be an American History buff and overlook the importance that early US circuses and carnivals had …

THE VALUE OF AMERICA’S JUNK

One the best things about traveling two lanes, picking through piles of dust and rust, is the pe...

FOR THE LOVE OF PEDDLING

For the Love of Peddling National Bike Month It’s not just motorcycles but all two wheel travel we love, and we’re not the only ones! May is official National Bike Month! Established by the League of …

WHERE IS IT NOW: MASONIC CHAIR

Antique Masonic Chair – Where Is It? Both of my Antique Archaeology shops, in Leclaire, Iowa & in Nashville, still get tons of emails asking about the Masonic Chair sold to JesseLee a few seasons ago American Pickers. …

MAKE A MEMORY JUG

What is a Memory Jug? Memory jugs are 19th-20th century artifacts that were commonly made to commemorate someone’s life, a memento mori of sorts, that could be used to mark a loved one’s grave. They …

THE EAGLES ARE HERE: EAGLE FESTIVAL IN LECLAIRE, IA

If you didn’t know before, you’ll know now! LeClaire, Iowa is one of the best spots in the entire country to view and photograph Bald Eagles. This section of the cold, icy, Mississippi River attracts …

GIVE THE GIFT OF USA MADE! TWO LANES DOG BOWLS AND BRASS TAGS BY FOUND MY ANIMAL

Found My Animal in New York makes beautiful artisan pet accessories with a meaningful purpose and message If you’re already following Mike Wolfe on social media, you know how much he loves sharing photos …

160 YEARS OF TRADITIONAL WOODEN OAR AND PADDLE MAKING: SHAW & TENNEY

Small team of craftsman in Orono, Maine continue to make heirloom products trusted by the US Coast Guard, Carnival Cruises and canoers alike The year is 1858. Minnesota has just been …

AMERICAN IRON: FORGED IN AKRON, OHIO

After leaving a job in the Ohio oil fields, 26-year-old Andrew Wasnac blazed his own path as a bladesmith Inside the detached garage off his house in Akron, Ohio, you can smell the burning coal. …

INSIDE THE SHED WHERE TWO LANES BANDANAS ARE MADE

In a suburban Nashville shed, One Feather Press creates small batch travel essentials exclusively for Mike Wolfe’s American-made adventure brand Two Lanes. Tennessee in August can be hotter than a Harley pipe after a 100-mile ride. …

BEING NEIGHBORLY: BOOK IT TO A LITTLE FREE LIBRARY

Across America, little handmade libraries are connecting neighbors and renewing their interest in books. While walking the dog or picking up your kids’ at school, or perhaps on your Two Lane travels out of town, have you, by …

MOTOTINTYPE: DOCUMENTING BIKER CULTURE IN AMERICA

Paul d’Orléans and Susan McLaughlin travel on Two Lanes, using a Sprinter van as a mobile darkroom, as they capture wet plate-style photos of motorcycles and their owners. Wet plate photography is an art that’s as old as the state …

THROWING CLAY: SUNSET HILL STONEWARE

This tiny pottery business in Neenah, Wisconsin creates half a million custom handmade stoneware pieces a year! There once was a time when everything in America was handmade. So in these days of cheap, mass …

DECADES PRESERVED IN PRINT OUT OF FORGOTTEN BOXES

Small town gallery transforming film into fully developed local history at W7thCo Gallery, Columbia TN For the first time in eight decades, Lee Burt, 87, is seeing photos, long thought to be lost, taken by her husband …

TAYLOR MCGUIRE — A NEW GENERATION OF PICKER

Born in the digital age on a mission to connect with the past The average number of people creating a social media account increases every day. As you read this, 2.46 billion people …

BLACKOUT SIGNS: THE ART OF OLD-FASHIONED ADVERTISING

Small town metal man Jay Gordon illuminates main streets and music festivals with his hand-made neon signs created in a 1930s barn near Austin, Texas. Do you know those YouTube videos of people cooking eggs …

JUNKSTOCK: 7 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

We love helping you plan your weekend adventures, Two Lanes road trips, and introducing you to people creating American made products. Every once in a while, we meet someone who is a combination of all three. Sara Alexander is …

HOBBIT-STYLE GULLY HUTS: FOREST GULLY FARMS

A tasty Tennessee hideaway where you can hang your hat when you hop off the Two Lanes. Fly Hollow Road is incredibly narrow as it cuts through a two-mile stretch of Tennessee back country about an hour …

CANNED PINEAPPLE: GOOD AS GOLD

Buddy Norton + Shelby Lowe live a Two Lanes lifestyle traveling in their van and painting gold leaf signs across America Nothing shines like gold. It is irreplaceable, matchless. We have always been drawn to it, believed it is …

JACOB WITZLING: HAND-MADE HOMES

These hand-built Washington cabins are livable sculptures made of moss and salvaged materials Pacific coast mornings are second to none. Sunbeams pierce the canopies of towering fir and hemlock just as that famous fog rolls down the mountains swallowing everything …

COBRACULT: HARNESSING THE WILD INTO HEIRLOOMS

Jessica Ilalaole left Hawaii at just 16 years old. Life on a little island in the middle of the Pacific can only hold so much adventure for a growing girl. Never having known anything but island …

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