Roadside America facts for kids
The entrance in 2009
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| Established | 1935 |
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| Dissolved | 2020 |
| Location | Shartlesville, Pennsylvania |
| Collection size | Railroad model trains and other model structures |
Roadside America was an amazing indoor miniature village and railway. It covered a huge area, about 8,000 square feet, filled with tiny buildings and moving trains. Laurence Gieringer created this incredible display in 1935.
He first showed his miniature world in his home in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. People loved it so much that local newspapers wrote stories about it! This made it very popular. Because of the growing interest, Gieringer moved his display to a larger spot.
From 1938 to about 1940, it was at Carsonia Park, a local amusement park. To make it even bigger, Gieringer bought land in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania. This new location was off Interstate 78, about 20 miles west of the Lehigh Valley. The display reopened there in 1953.
Roadside America closed its doors in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On November 21, 2020, it was announced that the attraction would close permanently. They had tried to find a new owner for three years but were not successful. The entire display was later sold at an auction.
Exploring Roadside America's Miniature World
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The miniature display was built at a scale of 3/8 inch to one foot. This means everything was much smaller than real life. It was like looking at a tiny, bustling world!
What You Could See in the Display
The village diorama was a huge, detailed landscape covering 7,450 square feet. It featured over 300 miniature buildings. Imagine seeing all these tiny structures!
- Up to 18 model trains, trolleys, and cable cars ran through the village. These were "O gauge" trains, a popular size for model railways.
- There were 10,000 tiny, handmade trees.
- You could spot 4,000 miniature people doing everyday things.
- Many small rivers, streams, and waterways flowed through the landscape.
- Visitors could activate interactive animations. These included a circus parade and tiny construction workers.
- The display was lit up by 600 miniature light bulbs.
How the Miniature World Was Built
Building Roadside America took a lot of materials and hard work. It was a massive project!
- It used 21,500 feet of electrical wiring to power everything.
- Over 17,700 board feet of lumber formed the base.
- Thousands of feet of building paper and sheet metal were used.
- The railroad tracks stretched for 2,250 feet.
- A lot of plaster, about 18,000 pounds, helped create the landscape.
- Thousands of pounds of sheet iron and hundreds of pounds of nails held it all together.
- Moss, cement, sawdust, and paint helped create the realistic scenery.
Laurence Gieringer passed away in 1963. However, his amazing Roadside America display remained just as he built it for many years after his death.
