Originally published in the September-October 2025 Lincoln and Continental Comments magazine (Issue # 386)
by Jeff Shively
Webmaster’s note: This is a segment of the full article Up and Down the Dial – Tuning into the 2025 Mid-America National Meet In Cincinnati, which started on page 30 of the September-October 2025 issue.
Title footnote: Genesis: “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” (1974)
The process of converting a production automobile into a hearse is mind-boggling. Much of the original vehicle ends up in the scrap heap. It was shocking to see dozens of brand-new doors stacked up, awaiting disposal, and entire roof sections sitting in the dumpster, ready for the scrappers. Much of the rear portion of the vehicles is crafted from fiberglass, and MK Coach employs specialists skilled in working in this medium. Once the major body and suspension modifications are completed, the painters go to work. The company employed talented trimmers who make the interiors of these machines as stunning as the exterior.
In times not so long past, Lincoln had a significant stake in the professional car market. Despite being well over a decade old, Town Car-based hearses are still in use all across the country. There were two Lincoln-based hearses at MK Coach, in for upgrades or repairs. All of the new hearses in the shop were based on Cadillac platforms. Perhaps in the future, Lincoln can get back into the professional car trade.
Dinner at the Golden Lamb on Thursday evening was a treat like no other. The restaurant was opened in 1803, the same year that Ohio became a state. The current four-story building dates to around 1815. In those days, the Golden Lamb would have been called a tavern. In modern parlance, the term conjures up images of a place to purchase adult libations. However, starting in Colonial America and continuing well into the 19th century, taverns were much more than that. They were hotels, where travelers, weary from a day on horseback or in a stagecoach, could find a hearty meal and a bed for the night. They were also community centers, where locals could meet with their friends over a pint of ale and share thoughts on the day’s events. In a world before the telegraph, where newspapers were not yet all that common, these travelers brought with them news of happenings outside the local community. This synergy is one of the reasons some historians argue that the American Revolution was born in the numerous taverns of the thirteen colonies.
No revolutions were being birthed at the Golden Lamb that evening, but the meal and camaraderie were second to none. Our group enjoyed dining privately on the second floor. Afterwards, many explored the ancient building. The list of luminaries who have visited the Golden Lamb over the past two centuries includes U.S. Presidents John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, Martin Van Buren, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, Ronald W. Reagan, and George W. Bush. It was an excellent way to cap off Thursday.