Tulsa's Other Buried Car

Recently I alluded to Tulsa's other buried car. Some of you may be wondering what type of car did Tulsa bury the 2nd go round. Additionally one would wonder what changes were made (now that technology is more advanced) to insure this car will be in pristine condition when it is unveiled. The following video will answer those questions.

Carpe Knitting,
KZ

Model A Car Show

Recently there was a Model A Car Show in our area.  DH {Dear Hubby} took some photos to commemorate the day and also to share with some friends and relatives. I had fun putting his pictures to the music he chose.

If you were unable to attend, here's a taste of what you missed:

Carpe Knitting,

KZ

Miss Belvedere, One of Tulsa's Buried Cars

Where is She Now?

It is hard to believe that we are almost two years out from the unveiling of Miss Belvedere, one of Tulsa's buried cars {yes, there is still a buried car in Tulsa}. The first video is a trailer to a documentary that was made about Miss Belvedere. 

This next video will bring us more up to date on how Miss Belvedere is looking these days.

More knitting to come... I promise!

Carpe Knitting,

KZ

Have you seen these driving around your area?

We are beginning to see them in our area.  Over the last two weeks I have seen at least five out and about.

These pictures were taken at a local dealership and are not counted as any of the five I have seen around town.  

The car only seats two people.  I believe it is sometimes called a Smart ForTwo.

 

I have been rear-ended three times {none my fault}, twice by pickups and once by a semi. If you have ever been in the back seat of a car that is rear-ended by a semi and you get covered in glass as it shatters, you want a lot of space between you and the back bumper. So for me, this would not be a car I would choose. However, I thought some of you might be interested in seeing the car.  

I will be curious to know if you have seen any in your area.  Send me a comment if you have and let me know where you live.

If you live in another country and have a similarly sized car, leave a comment with a description of your "small" car.

I hope you have had fun viewing these pictures.  If I hear from other countries with interesting fuel-economy cars, I will locate some photographs for a future post.

This car actually looks even smaller in "real life" next to all the full size vehicles out on the road. 

I promise fiber content very soon!

Spotlight on Tulsa's Buried 1957 Plymouth Belvedere

Forgive my tardiness in blogging last week when the spotlight in Tulsa was on the unearthing of the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere. Eight years ago I stumbled across information on a buried car/time capsule in Tulsa. After telling DH, he has waited all these years for last week's big event.


We drove to downtown Tulsa a week early and took the above picture. Then as they began the excavation, DH headed over several times to check on the progress. Many were disappointed when the lids came off and they discovered what they feared was reality ~ water had gotten into the vault. You can see the various waterlines on the sides of the vault. It is evident there were times over the last 50 years when water reached over the roof.

In the above photo the car is covered in a couple of special bags that were made specifically for the storage of Miss Belvedere. A lot of the history can be found on Buried Car's website and Tulsa Films Website.

That evening they unveiled the car and the next day the crowds came to see Miss Belvedere.

It is sad to see the rust; however, when we look at her, we see history.

In 1957, 812 people guessed what Tulsa' s population would be in 2007. The winner or the closest living relation of the winner will win the car and a $100 savings account (plus interest). I have heard the savings account is now valued at $700). The microfilm containing all of the guesses did not survive; however, the time capsule contained paper copies of those guesses and they remained intact thanks to the integrity of the capsule.

This past week has been a blur and now another week has passed before I could post this. Yesterday I had the pleasure of having lunch with 2 ladies with whom I had worked a number of years ago. The subject of Miss Belvedere came up and I realized I had not completed this post.

Last Friday they announced the winner of the car and savings account. The winner had to have the guess closest to the current population of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The U. S. Census Bureau determined the population to be 382,457. The day the winner of the car was announced, Miss Belvedere was on display at a local car dealership. I believe those who so hopefully buried this 1957 Plymouth Belvedere 50 years ago would want you to view this resurrected car as history and not with sadness in her condition.

Raymond Eugene Humbertson, a Marine, had spent the evening in Tulsa one night in 1957 and submitted his guess before the car was buried. His guess was 384,743. He and his wife have since passed away but the search committee located his two sisters. In an article I read, the sisters lovingly mentioned Raymond had always brought them special gifts when he would return home on a military lead. Now they learn he has left them one last gift ~ well, actually two.

Thank you to those who wanted to share with future Tulsans by burying Miss Belvedere and the time capsule for us to enjoy 50 years later and to have a glimpse of what life was like at the time. I am sure very few, if any, ever dreamed the unveiling would become a global event. Thanks also to those who spent 18+ months preparing for her rise from the vault.

Suddenly, it's 2007!