In the heart of RV manufacturing country in Elkhart, Ind., the hallowed halls of the RV industry’s history awaits curious travelers from across the globe. The RV/Motorhome Hall of Fame honors the storied past of the RV lifestyle with an educational experience sure to instill a nostalgic sense of wonderment in every RVer.
RV historian and head storyteller at the RV/MH Hall of Fame, Al Hesselbart, offers both a glimpse of RVing heritage and a preview of the adventure that awaits at an attraction no die-hard RVer can resist.
Author of “The Dumb Things Sold Just Like That: A History of the RV industry in America”
How would you describe the spirit of the RVer? From the beginning, we Americans have been vagabonds. We are travelers. Going back to Davy Crocket and Daniel Boone, who I am sure would have been RVers had there been RVs for them to use, Americans longed to see and enjoy this wonderful country of ours. Being able to take your home with you on your journey just makes it that much easier.
How have RVs evolved during the 20th century? More than 100 years before the first automobile, people were inventing ways to hang a bed off the back of a horseless carriage to go camping. Before WWI, we had rustic and basically hard-shelled tents. After WWII, as servicemen returned home and were looking for inexpensive ways to travel recreationally with their families, we entered the “camper age” and RVs were identified as campers. In the 1970s and 1980s, we began what we refer to today as “RVing” with larger, self-contained motorhomes. Today, RVs have become modernized, luxurious homes on wheels. The evolution has never stopped, and I can’t imagine, given the inven-tive and innovative nature of the RVer, that it ever will.
An inside look at a vintage Airstream
What do visitors experience at the RV/MH Hall of Fame? At the RV/MH Hall of Fame, the history and evolution of this wonderful industry is explained from its very beginnings through the years of the Great Depression, WWII, the heydays of the 1950s and ’60s, right up to the present.
In addition to the more than 50 vintage RVs on display at the museum, the Hall of Fame honors the pioneering individuals who built this industry and made it what it is today. The RV/MH Hall of Fame contains the biggest collection of RV-related literature in the world. Visitors from all over enjoy its library of books, magazines and photographs — some of which go back to before the 20th century — to discover how this industry has grown.
The RV/MH Heritage Foundation is proud of the museum. We’re proud of our archives. And we’re proud to honor the people who have made it possible.
To learn more about the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Ind., please visit www.rvmhhalloffame.org.