Every recreational vehicle reflects a set of choices: how to make room for sleeping, cooking, storage, and travel within a limited space. At the RV/MH Hall of Fame, those choices become a way to explore more than a century of American travel.
RV Founders Hall brings together preserved vehicles, photographs, memorabilia, and historical interpretation. In 2026, the Foundation reorganized the hall chronologically, refreshed exhibit staging, and installed new historical signage to strengthen that visitor experience.
Start with the early experiments
Early housecars and tent trailers show how builders approached travel before the familiar layouts of modern motorhomes and trailers took shape. Vehicles associated with the David Woodworth collection include the 1916 Ford Telescoping Apartment, 1916 Cozy Camp Tent Trailer, 1928 Pierce Arrow Fleet Housecar, and 1937 Hunt Housecar.
As you compare them, look at the arrangement of furnishings, the materials used, and the ways designers tried to make a small interior serve several purposes.
Follow the changing designs
Mae West’s 1931 Chevrolet Housecar was built for Paramount Studios when she moved from vaudeville into motion pictures. Later examples, including the 1974 GMC Motorhome and the 1985 Bounder prototype, illustrate different approaches to motorhome design.
The collection also includes the 1931 Tennessee Traveler, the 1932 Gilkie Tent Trailer, the 1954 Ranger pop-up trailer, and the 1977 Travco. Together, these vehicles show that RV history followed many paths.
Meet the people behind the products
Continue into the Hall of Fame to learn about the people whose work helped shape the RV and manufactured housing industries. The vehicles tell one part of the story; the careers, ideas, and contributions of industry leaders add another.
Explore RV Founders Hall and plan your visit. Allow at least two to three hours for the Hall of Fame and both museums.