National Good Roads Convention Pin

Addressing the National Good Roads Convention at St. Louis’s Odeon Theater in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt remarked, “When we wish to use descriptive adjectives fit to characterize great empires, and the men who made these empires great, invariably one of the adjectives used is to signify that they built great roads.” Bicyclists and drivers together advocated for government-funded paved roads and better infrastructure in St. Louis and across the country.

Object Title and Accession Number

Metal pin disc and ribbon badge worn by a member of the General Reception Committee of the National Good Roads Convention held in St. Louis in 1903. Unknown maker, 1903. 2011-149-0015.

Pin on a beige ribbon with text

A vintage ribbon with "General Reception Committee, National Good Road's Convention, St. Louis, 1903" printed in brown text. It features brown fringe at the bottom and a circular pin at the top.

Close up of a pin with an emblem

Close-up of a circular pin with an emblem and text "National Good Roads Convention" attached to an off-white ribbon labeled "General Reception." The design on the medal features stars and stripes.