The Friday tour at the Mid America Meet was to the Veit Museum located in Wright County, North of Buffalo and West of Monticello — sort of in the middle of nowhere. Veit’s is off the beaten path, located on 500 acres of heavily wooded land. It features a long drive on a narrow road nestled in the trees. The museum is centered around hot rods, some vintage Chevrolets and a lot of eye catching stuff, like gas pumps, signs and other very interesting things to catch one’s fancy.
Bob Roth did an admirable job of planning the tour and getting everyone there without any fuss or bother. The long, picturesque drive winds over a narrow, paved road, and up a long hill. Along the drive and in the woods are a number of old vehicles, parked just off the road. They look like they may be sleeping, but they are very slowly rusting away, awaiting nature to reclaim her precious metals once again.
The Veit Museum is a unique collection, showing off the special interests of the Veit family. There are presently several buildings just jam-packed with fascinating things. In the main building, there is a lot of automobile memorabilia spread throughout. Gas pumps and various types of illuminated signs are hung from the ceiling and mounted on the walls. There are also a number of “hot rods” on display, most of which are from the 1930s and 1940s, and lots of General Motors stuff, including a number of Corvettes, and a few other cars. Among them is an interesting custom 1957 Chevrolet featuring 2 doors on the passenger’s side and a single door on the driver’s side. It is a car that, for a custom, is very well done and nicely finished in all respects. One of my favorite cars in the collection is a 1949 Oldsmobile Super Eighty-Eight. A gray two-door fast back sedan, it is a car even a Lincoln collector might like to have in the garage.
In another building on-site there is a very well-equipped shop with a heavy duty lift installed. On the lift sits a very classy looking Duesenberg dual cowl four-door phaeton, absolutely perfect in all respects. I think that it may be a 1932 model; I looked at the period license plate, but I just can’t remember the exact date. I would expect this car to do very well at any of the national venues that it entered. People have told me that Duesenbergs are not particularly the easiest cars to drive, but this very impressive automobile would make a statement wherever driven or trailer-ed. Even just parked, it is a wonderful sight to behold and a true work of art.
The Veits are constructing a new building to make room for more acquisitions and to spread out their existing collection, making it more accessible to the visiting public. It was hoped that it would have been finished for our visit, but various delays have pushed back the completion date for another six to eight months.
On the Veit property, close to the museum, there is an outdoor pavilion. It is in a shaded area and covered, so the direct rays of the summertime sun do not penetrate. Additionally, there are large fans installed to create a nice breeze. This provides a great place for a picnic lunch and another chance for car enthusiasts to visit, refresh some old friendships, and make a few new ones. In many respects, this is really what our fine club is all about today. The Lincolns bring us together, and the social aspects are the proverbial icing on the cake.
