When the Route 66 Association of Illinois was established by Tom Teague in the early 1990s, part of its mission was to honor the individuals and establishments who over the years helped make the road the famous Land of Lincoln landmark that shines today. Since its inception, each year a few new Hall of Famers have been inducted during the annual motor tour and are forever honored in the Hall of Fame Museum. Originally just a hallway at the Dixie Truckers Home in McLean, the museum moved to an old firehouse in downtown Pontiac and today is one of the few absolutely must-stop landmarks along Route 66 in
any state.
Featured here are just a few of the many wonderful landmarks that have been immortalized in the Illinois Hall of Fame. To find a complete listing of Route 66 Association Hall of Fame members visit the
Association's website.
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Erected as a Catholic youth project in 1959, the Shrine of Our Lady of the Highways has guarded travelers along the Mother Road for almost fifty years. Francis Marten donated a strip of land on his farm to his eldest daughter's project and in the following decades took care of the Shrine and greeted thousands of Route 66 travelers who stopped to pray or just take in the historic landmark. After Francis passed in 2002 the Marten family has continued his legacy by keeping the statue in great shape. Francis Marten was one of the initial Hall of Fame inductees in 1990. |
 Our Lady Shrine
Waggoner, Illinois
1959 - present
Class of 1990
For more information and photographs visit the Waggoner page.
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Home to one of Route 66's favorite families, the Pig-Hip Restaurant served up treats almost every year of the Mother Road's life from this tiny town just north of Springfield. Ernie and Frances Edwards closed up shop in the early 1990s but kept the property alive as a museum to their historic establishment and the road that brought them decades of business. Sadly the building was lost to a fire in March of 2007, though the Edwards and their home next door escaped unharmed. The Edwards and the Pig-Hip were part of the inaugural class of Hall of Fame inductees back in 1990. |
 Pig-Hip Restaurant
Broadwell, Illinois
1937 - 1991
Class of 1990
Destroyed 2007
For more information and photographs visit the Broadwell page.
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In operation for almost seventy years, this classic station resides along old US 66 in the coal mining community of Mount Olive. Founded in 1926, the station was soon to be blessed by the presence of Route 66. The station offered no room for repairs, so a ramp was set outside to the south of the station to allow access to the undercarriage. A tree sprouted between the tire ramps, and today its trunk rises up out of the beginning of the incline, keeping any classic cars from ascending the structure. The Route 66 Association of Illinois began preservation efforts in the early 2000s, replacing the gas pumps with classic replicas and giving the station a fresh coat of paint. Soulsby's Shell Station and longtime proprieter Russell Soulsby were among the Association's first ever Hall of Fame inductees in 1990. |
 Soulsby's Shell Station
Mount Olive, Illinois
1926 - 1990s
Class of 1990
For more information and photographs visit the Mount Olive page.
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The longest running restaurant on Route 66 started to the west in Carlinville where the Mother Road originally ran for the first four years of her life. As the road moved west, so did the Ariston, migrating to Litchfield on the old two-lane route where the business remains to this day. Founded by the Adam Family, the Ariston is still under its orignal ownership and is considered one of the finer places to eat not only in Litchfield but in all of Montgomery County. Just a mile or so off of the interstate and between two alignments of Route 66, the restaurant continues to serve both locals and tourists. The Adams and their longtime landmark entered the Hall of Fame in 1992. |
 Ariston Restaurant
Litchfield, Illinois
1926 - present
Class of 1992
For more information and photographs visit the Litchfield page.
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This diner in the northern panhandle region of Montgomery County has changed hands several times in recent years but continues to serve Central Illinois and the Mother Road with homecooked food and cheap overnight rates. The classic sign that dated back to the days when Route 66 still cruised past on the east side of the property was restored to perfect condition in mid-2007 and attracts northbound travelers to stop and take in this landmark business and Illinois Route 66 Hall of Famer since 1995. |
 Art's Motel/Restaurant
Farmersville, Illinois
19?? - present
Class of 1995
For more information and photographs visit the Farmersville page.
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For almost twenty-five years this small town just north of Bloomington/Normal played home to Eddie's Pure Truck Stop, later Eddie's Pure/Union 76. Open twenty-four hours a day, the business offered cheap lodging for truckers, but as the road moved to the west of town business dwindled and at the end of May, 1976 the 76 was forced to close its doors. No relics of the old stop remain, but a plaque has been erected along the Geographic Journey in Towanda to celebrate its history. In 1996 Eddie's Pure Truck Stop was inducted into the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame. |
 Eddie's Pure Truck Stop
Towanda, Illinois
1952 - 1976
Class of 1996
For more information and photographs visit the Towanda page.
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For three decades this was the principal span across the Mississippi River, as traffic bound from lands east to west and vice versa braved the tight rails and seemingly random bend to cross the virtual halfway point of the United States. Since the new COR Bridge was built just to the north, the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge has been denied vehicular traffic (save the occasional motor tour) but thanks to the efforts of Trailnet pedestrians and cyclists commonly use the archaic surface to jump from state-to-state and enjoy the views along the Mississippi at the north end of Saint Louis. The bridge was honored in the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 1998. |
 Chain of Rocks Bridge
Mitchell, Illinois
1936 - 1967
Class of 1998
For more information and photographs visit the Chain of Rocks page.
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On the north end of Litchfield's 1930-1940 two lane alignment sits the Sky View Drive-In, the only drive-in theatre still operating right along Route 66 in Illinois. Open weekends April through October, admission for the double feature is only $2, a staggeringly cheap amount that requires you not only patronize this Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame establishment but also buy lots of popcorn and soda as well. If you don't plan to stay for the second film at least stick around long enough for the classic intermission reel featuring dancing hot dogs and candy. It's the perfect touch to this retro Route 66 experience. The longtime Litchfield landmark entered the Illinois Hall of Fame in 1998. |
Sky View Drive-In
Litchfield, Illinois
1951 - present
Class of 1998
For more information and photographs visit the Litchfield page.
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Surely the guardians of the Mother Road throughout Illinois are the Muffler Men, their hulking bodies leering over any who would do Route 66 harm. The most famous of the statues resides outside the Launching Pad restaurant on the north end of Wilmington, where the Gemini Giant hangs on to his spaceship and watches over this Route 66 landmark. As the rural sensibilities of Illinois start to become more urban and compact as the road moves into Chicagoland here, the Launching Pad remains as one of the long time Route 66 standards that reflects the heyday of America's Main Street. The Will County establishment was honored in the Illinois Hall of Fame in 2000. |
 Launching Pad Rest.
Wilmington, Illinois
1960 - present
Class of 2000
For more information and photographs visit the Wilmington page.
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One of the early restoration projects along Route 66 in Illinois, the Standard Oil Station at the south end of Odell shines as one of the most beautiful landmarks along the Mother Road. In operation for decades in this busy Livingston County community, the Route 66 Association of Illinois helped rehab the site in the early 2000s and a welcome center now greets travelers with the history of this classic service station as well as the village of Odell. Computer analysis was used to match the new paint job exactly to the old Standard colors and allow the modern-day traveler to travel back in time to an era when traffic on this two-lane stretch of Route 66 was so busy the town had to build a pedestrian tunnel underneath the road. In 2001 the restored station entered the Illinois Hall of Fame. |
Standard Oil Station
Odell, Illinois
1932 - 1960s
Class of 2001
For more information and photographs visit the Odell page.
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Macoupin County owes much of its success over the years to the coal mines that dot its landscape, and a century ago the labor strife that plagued the industry caused years of pain along Route 66 in the county. Mother Jones served as a labor leader and organizer across the US, and after her death was buried in the Union Miners' Cemetary in Mount Olive to honor her service to the hard working families of the area. A memorial stands above her grave as two statues of miners watch over her, guarding her eternal sleep. The site was inducted into the Illinois Hall of Fame in 2003. |
Mother Jones
Mount Olive, Illinois
19?? - present
Class of 2003
For more information and photographs visit the Mount Olive page.
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An old roadhouse on the Chain of Rocks Road between Edwardsville and the Mississippi River, the Luna Cafe has seen its share of history including a rumored stint as a brothel as well as alleged stops from Al Capone. Today it sits along a more remote, less traveled stretch of Route 66 and stays alive due to good support from the local community. The retro sign out front points what few Route 66 tourists travel through here off of the road to visit this Illinois Route 66 Hall off Famer since 2004. |
 Luna Cafe
Mitchell, Illinois
19?? - present
Class of 2004
For more information and photographs visit the Mitchell page.
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