Tag Archives: Cincinnati history museum

Crosley Super Station Wagon

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You can’t talk about Cincinnati history or the city’s history museum without discussing the Crosley automobile. The Crosley Corporation produced a series of subcompact cars that are as cute as can be. They didn’t operate for a long time (1939-1952 with a break during the war years) but they certainly left their mark on the automobile industry.

They made the first mass produced automobile with an overhead camshaft engine that was affordable to the masses. They made a sports car, a truck, a convertible and station wagon like the one on display at the Ohio History center.

This 1951 Super Station Wagon is part of the permanent collection at the Cincinnati History Museum. It got an impressive 30- 50 miles per gallon at a top speed of around sixty miles per hour. According to the signage with the vehicle, the 1951 and 1952 models of this car came with this nifty little propeller on the front of the car.

Crosley Corporation and company founder Powell Crosley gave us the Shelvador refrigerator, a first to offer shelves inside the door. Powell owned the Cincinnati Reds for a while, broadcasting the games on his powerful WLW AM radio station which broadcast to homes across the Midwest on inexpensive radios he manufactured and sold to households nationwide.

The pictured vehicle was donated to the museum in honor of Jean and Houston Crosley. Houston was the grandson of Powell Crosley, Jr. Incidentally, they are buried at Spring Grove Cemetery along with many other members of the Crosley family.

Read about Spring Grove Cemetery here.

Cincinnati History Museum

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The Cincinnati History Museum is just one of the museums inside the Cincinnati Museum Center.

The most striking feature here is Public Landing, an imagined landing with a riverboat and cobblestone streets that take you to a photography studio, a dressmaker and an apothocary. Step aboard the boat and explore inside the buildings to learn about life in this river city in the 1860s.

Vintage advertising pieces, a streetcar, and items made in Cincinnati provide insight into the city’s history as well as life in America. Another special thing here is an intricate model of Cincinnati in the forties complete with trains. The kiddos especially love this and I could have stood there all day too.

If you’ve been following along here, you know that these museums are housed in Union Terminal, a gorgeous art deco train station that’s worth a visit. In fact, if you’re looking for rainy day fun, a reprieve from the summer heat, or if you just like museums, the Cincinnati Museum Center is a terrific destination for a day trip.