RV/MH Heritage Foundation · Elkhart, Indiana · Preserving the legacy of two industries
RV/MH Heritage Foundation · Elkhart, Indiana · Preserving the legacy of two industries
Explore the vehicles, homes, artifacts, stories, and innovations that document how America traveled, lived, built, and changed.
Follow the story of recreational travel through historic trailers, motorhomes, photographs, and memorabilia. RV Founders Hall brings together vehicles from different eras so you can explore how the industry developed over time.
Collection highlights include Mae West’s 1931 Chevrolet Housecar, the 1932 Gilkie Tent Trailer, the 1974 GMC Motorhome, and Fleetwood founder John Crean’s 1985 Bounder prototype. Each adds a different chapter to the history of life on the road.
Trace the evolution of manufactured housing from the covered wagon through the 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s. Historic settings, furnished homes, and interactive displays introduce the developments that helped shape the industry.
The experience connects those earlier chapters with contemporary home design, then looks toward future possibilities through an imaginative manufactured housing settlement on Mars. Sights and sounds help bring the journey to life.
Discover the people whose leadership, innovation, and service shaped both industries. Explore their biographies and induction years in the Hall of Fame directory.
Go beyond the exhibits to explore the records behind both industries. The Kindlund Library & Archives preserves thousands of volumes of periodicals, records, and photographs used by industry writers, university historians, and owners researching historic vehicles and homes.
Collection highlights include company histories, product brochures, association newsletters, and Schult Homes photograph binders covering 1934 through World War II. Browse the historical collection index, then contact the Foundation about materials relevant to your research.
Explore selected objects from the Foundation’s historic museum inventory and follow the stories that connect vehicles, homes, design, and industry history.
