Elkhorn Wisconsin Thomas Motel Highway 12 1940s RPPC Postcard Unposted

This 1940s real photo postcard documents the Thomas Motel located along Highway 12 near Elkhorn, Wisconsin, showing a long roadside motor court building serving automobile travelers.

Highway 12 formed an important regional route across southern Wisconsin during the early automobile era, connecting communities while carrying tourist and commercial traffic through towns such as Elkhorn in Walworth County. As automobile travel expanded during the interwar and postwar years, roadside lodging developed rapidly along these highways. Motor courts and motels offered convenient parking directly outside guest rooms and catered to travelers moving between Chicago, Madison, and other Midwestern destinations.

The photograph shows a single-story motel structure arranged in a long linear row facing a circular gravel drive, allowing vehicles to approach the room entrances easily from the highway. A roadside sign mounted beside a tree identifies the property as the Thomas Motel, while the caption along the lower margin reads Thomas Motel on Hy.12, 15 & 67 Elkhorn, Wis. The setting emphasizes the open roadside landscape typical of early motor courts, with the building set slightly back from the roadway and surrounded by flat rural terrain.

The item shown in the listing is the exact item the collector will receive. We have tens of thousands of items to choose from. Shipping will always be combined or refunded to save you as much money as possible. Please contact us with any questions, or visit our store page for specifics.