‘Horn Buttons Detailed Designs and Dangers’ new exhibit at AACA Museum, Inc.

Hershey, PA - There are many different styles and designs of horn buttons from mild to wild. This exhibit features over 80 Horn Buttons from an assortment of marques, including, but not limited to Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Mercury, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and Pontiac, ranging in years from the ’40s through the '60s. 

The goal behind this display is to highlight the level of detail and ornateness that went into a part of vintage automobiles that many people don’t even think about. However, while beautiful, these horn buttons were not always the safest. In one famous example, legendary actor, comedian, and performer Sammy Davis Jr. lost his left eye in a car accident when it impacted on the bullet-shaped horn button of his 1955 Cadillac’s steering wheel. This display actually features the very same type of horn button, from a 1955 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Safety innovations, as well as more cost-effective and economical designs, eventually led car manufacturers to steer away from these more decorative horn buttons, instead opting for the more utilitarian and safer steering wheel pads found in most modern cars.

This comprehensive collection was donated to the museum in 2019 by Carl Ursich and Terry Bartley in honor of their friend (and the original owner of the collection) Charles L. Bametzrieder, III. Visitors to the AACA Museum can view this collection on permanent view in the upper-level of the Museum, in our Regions & Chapters room.

About the AACA Museum, Inc.

The AACA Museum, Inc., a Smithsonian Affiliate, displays beautifully restored or preserved automobiles, buses, trucks, and motorcycles in unique life-like scenes representing the 1890s through the 1980s on a cross-country journey from New York to San Francisco. As one of the largest automotive museums in the country, AACA Museum, Inc. features special exhibits that change several times a year and focus on a variety of eras and types of vehicles.

The AACA Museum, Inc., has been and remains an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, not affiliated with The Antique Automobile Club of America.

The Museum is in South Hanover Township, just off Route 39 and one mile west of Hersheypark Drive in Hershey, Pa. Regular admission is $12.50; seniors age 61 and older, $11.50; juniors age 4 to 12, $9.50; and children age 3 and under, free. Admission is also free to AACA Museum, Inc., members, and Antique Automobile Club of America members with a current membership card.

The Museum is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. For more information, call 717-566-7100 or visit AACAMuseum.org.