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Motor court vies for honor

Historic Lincoln Motor Court nominated in national contest

The Lincoln Motor Court along Lincoln Highway has been selected to participate in USA Today’s 2020 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards in the roadside motel category. Courtesy photo

A Bedford County motor court has been selected to participate in USA Today’s 2020 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards in the roadside motel category. The Lincoln Motor Court is in fourth place as voting continues for the next 18 days.

Located along Lincoln Highway, the Lincoln Motor Court made a name for itself among travelers from abroad because it’s like taking a trip back in time, said co-owner Deborah “Debbie” Altizer. Debbie and her husband, Bob, purchased the motel in 1983 after a two-year search to purchase a business they could run in a more family-friendly area than in Washington, D.C. They raised two daughters there: Rachel Taylor of Windsor, Va., and Carissa Altizer, a librarian in Woodstock, Va.

“I definitely helped out with the family business. I knew how to fold hospital corners and wash loads of laundry as a very young girl. I was a very meticulous cleaner,” Carissa said. “I made sure the window sills were wiped clean, chocolates were in the tin tray next to the bed and the black and white postcard was always centered on the table.”

A self-described “chatterbox,” Carissa said, meeting guests was an adventure. “I especially loved when guests would bring their dogs and sit on the front porch or use the bonfire pit.”

“As a young girl and today,” she said in an email, “I’m filled with pride when I have an opportunity to share this piece of history with others.”

Currently ranked fourth in voting, the motor court offers travelers accommodation in 1940s-style cabins. Courtesy photo

It also gave her an appreciation for historic preservation and hospitality.

“It helped me hone my communication skills. I was also always excited about the journalists and writers who did pieces on our motel, so I was able to learn about the research process at a young age,” she said.

Debbie said the early years were rough, but by the 1990s the business built its reputation thanks to interest from travel journalists and repeat customers who enjoyed stepping into the 1940s.

The Altizers, especially Debbie, searched yard sales and estate sales as well as antique stores for appropriate furnishings and embellishments, such as doilies, radios, typewriters, cameras and the metal chairs on the front porches of each cottage. Each 11-by-16-foot cottage comes with a modern refrigerator and a microwave. To keep with the bygone time theme, the Altizers have refused to put in air conditioning, using fans instead.

The motor court also attracts people from “across the pond,” Debbie said, “who are looking to experience the ‘real’ America — not what they see on TV.”

Asked how the motor court came to be nominated for the national contest, Debbie said she believes a recent article by writer/editor Alexandra Charitan in “Roadtrippers” garnered USA Today’s attention.

Charitan had stayed at the motor court in June.

In her article, Charitan wrote: “My room, number 12, includes a 1940s-style radio preloaded with 10,000 hours of shows such as “The Lone Ranger.” A handmade quilt covers the bed and the table is draped with an embroidered tablecloth. Each room comes with its own guest book; mine is full of glowing reviews, which Bob says is not uncommon. ‘We don’t tear out pages with bad reviews — because there are none,’ he says.”

Inquiries to USAToday on how the motor court was selected were not answered.

“It’s more than half a mystery to me,” Debbie said of the national contest. “I don’t really know anything about it. Other people get to travel and see the country, but I stay home and take care of my guests.”

Motor courts and tourist cabins that stand alone are a rarity these days, Debbie said, but were common in the early days of car travel.

“Now, more people come to us because of who we are,” Debbie said. “The first 25 years, it was family reunions, people interested in hunting and fishing around Shawnee State Park and seeing sites around Bedford.”

Prior to COVID-19, most customers booked two to three months in advance, she said. On the rare occasion someone stops without a reservation, they’re unlikely to stay — put off by the $85 per night charge for two people.

“Our rates are a little higher than the cheaper chain hotels they can find down the road,” Debbie said. “We’ve become a destination.”

To participate in the USA Today contest, visit www.10best.com/awards or visit the Lincoln Motor Court’s Facebook page. Voting is limited to one vote per day now through noon Oct. 12.

Mirror Staff Writer Patt Keith is at 949-7030.

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