EDUCATION
There are many things that have gone into shaping the society we live in today. The fabric of our culture has changed and changed again in response to new inventions which have woven their way into our lives. But, none has affected our society as deeply as the automobile. From the way we work and play to how we design the buildings we call home, the automobile has created in many ways a car culture with its own status symbols.
The National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection) presents the history of the automobile and explores its impact on American life and culture. This is done through in-depth interpretation, period street scenes, historical timelines, changing exhibits, an extensive historical collection of more than 200 automobiles from 1892 and related artifacts.
The Museum provides an ideal primary source for teachers to use when engaging students to further examine and to raise questions about one of the most important technological inventions of the modern era and its impact on society in the United States.
The Museum is rated one of the top 10 automobile museums in the nation and top 16 in the world. Visits to the Museum enriches students learning experiences and gives teachers the tools to teach history, social studies, science, math, visual arts and more.
Educational Programming
Field Trips
Heritage Workshop Lecture Series for Adults
Biennial History Symposiums for Teachers/Adults
Automotive Research Library
New 2008 Educational Programs to celebrate the historic 1908 New York to Paris Automobile Around the World Race, featuring the winning car, the Museum’s 1907 Thomas Flyer
Teaching Materials
Student Activity Passport
>Field Trips
Students can use the Museum’s automobiles, artifacts and clothing as primary sources in the teaching of the impact of the automobile on modern society. The history and culture of our society is woven throughout the stories of the automobiles. The Museum is open to field trips year round. For further information on scheduling a field trip to the Museum please call 775-333-9300 or email: info@automuseum.org
Heritage Workshop Lecture Series for Adults
Guest lecturers offer fascinating and intriguing presentations on a variety of automotive topics, some relevant to new changing exhibits. Click here to view the calendar for upcoming lecture series.
Biennial History Symposiums for Teachers/Adults
This four-day public program offers an in-depth examination of automotive history and its impact on American society, Nevada and our communities. The symposium includes lectures by scholars and historians and living history presentations, tours to other venues, and more. (Teachers earn Nevada Department of Education in-service credit by attending) Many ymposiums have received NAAMY Awards of Excellence in Educational Programs from the National Association of Automobile Museums.
The next history symposium is scheduled for April 9 – 12, 2008, and will explore the first decade of the 20 th Century: 1900 – 1910: Bustling into the Modern Age. To receive a registration form for this symposium please call 775-333-9300 or email: info@automuseum.org
Automotive Research Library
The Museum’s extensive Automotive Research Library is world-renowned and the Museum actively conducts research for scholars, journalists, restorers, enthusiasts and the interested public.
Spanning 100 years of automotive history from an 1895 Horseless Age to the latest Autoweek publications, holdings include technical books, sales literature, restoration manuals, shop and owner’s manuals, wiring diagrams, upholstery amples, paint color chips and formulas, photographs and much more.
New 2008 Educational Programs celebrating the 100 th Anniversary of the 1908 New York to Paris Automobile Race, Featuring the winning 1907 Thomas Flyer
Exhibit: 1908 New York to Paris Auto Race, 100 th Anniversary, Featuring the Winning Car, 1907 Thomas Flyer
Lesson Materials
Field Trips
Exhibit, 1908 New York to Paris Auto Race, 100 th Anniversary, Featuring the Winning Car, 1907 Thomas Flyer, November 8, 2008 – January 5, 2009
On the morning of Wednesday, February 12, 1908, the skies were sunny and clear and the mercury near freezing, when 250,000 spectators thronged Times Square in New York City in a holiday mood. It was Lincoln’s Birthday and everyone was doubly excited to witness history in the making: the start of the world’s longest automobile race ever, to end in Paris, France. The race was sponsored by two newspapers, the New York Times and Le Matin in Paris.
The racers were embarking on a 22,000 mile odyssey around the world. The route was formidable, traveling through the wildest stretches of the world’s uncharted realms. It crossed the United States from New York to San Francisco in winter, a feat never previously accomplished by automobile. It traversed the island of Japan, the first cars ever seen in that country, and slogged across Siberia, Manchuria, Russia, Germany and France and for the winning entry, victory was claimed after 169 days of fierce competition on July 30, 1908.
This exhibit tells the story of the lone American entry, the 1907 Thomas Flyer –winner of the New York to Paris Automobile Race driven to victory by George Schuster.
Its impact was tremendous, particularly on a fledgling automobile industry. It dramatically increased the prestige of American-made automobiles. After the Thomas Flyer’s successful crossing of the country in winter, it shifted the mindset of a nation. Automobiles could be a year-round mode of transportation and could be an efficient, reliable means of long-distance travel. Plus, it stimulated the building of roads across the United States and the development of the many businesses and services that make up “roadside America.”
For those behind the wheel in this around-the-world adventure, it was a contest of man and machine against the multiple hazards of primitive roads and difficult weather conditions that no automobile race before or since has approached.
The exhibit features the world-renowned 1907 Thomas Flyer; 12 large (4’X6’) original oil paintings (newly commissioned for the exhibit) depicting important scenes in the race; interpretative exhibit panels incorporating maps and original photographs from the race, historical text from the journal of the Thomas Flyer’s mechanic and driver, George Schuster, and books, newspapers and periodicals; and an audio station. Clothing of the era and a bicycle are on display as well as numerous technologies of the early 1900s are displayed next to their modern counterparts for comparison and contrast.
Lesson Materials
In conjunction with this exhibit, lesson plans for grades 4 th – 6 th and 7 th – 8 th have been developed by Washoe County School District teachers, in accordance with Nevada State academic standards. The lesson plans focus on the 1908 New York to Paris Automobile Race and have been developed to use in conjunction with a visit to the Museum on a field trip. They may be used in your classroom independent of the Museum’s exhibit.
http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/americanhistory/elementary/thomas_flyer_lessons.htm
>Field Trips
Teachers are encouraged to bring their students to the Museum for a field trip to view primary sources in conjunction with the lesson plans provided. The Student Activity Passport will provide a fun hands-on learning experience for your students. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore the first decade of the 20 th century and the beginning of the automobile industry through this special exhibit. For further information on scheduling a field trip to the Museum please call 775-333-9300 or email: info@automuseum.org
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