The greatest benefit of the renewed interest in Route 66 in the 1990s and into the twenty-first century has been the revitalization efforts put forth by so many wonderful volunteers. Time always changes a road, and in the case of America's Main Street the years have been, in many respects, quite good. The last two decades have seen a marked change in the look of the road, and tourists navigating the historic highway are blessed with many more attractive stops than if they had attempted the journey before IDOT placed arrows to aid them and before the Route 66 Association of Illinois set out to restore many of the businesses along the corridor to their former glory.
Listed below are but a few of the projects that the Association and other volunteers have spent time on, ensuring that future generations of roadies can better appreciate this highway - the greatest of all the roads that sewed together the culture of the United States in the middle of the twentieth century.
Coming soon: Illinois 4 marker in Pontiac, Lake Springfield original pavement, The Mill in Lincoln.
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The longest-operating service station on Route 66, this north-Central Illinois business was in operation from the early days of the highway (1933) until long past its decertification in Illinois, closing its doors in 1999. To be more accurate, the business moved out towards the interstate and is still open today serving the people of Livingston County and travelers speeding past just out of - or getting ever closer to - the Windy City. The building was offered to the city of Dwight shortly after it closed and in 2007 was completely rehabilitated to bear the colors and signage of its glory days along the Mother Road and soon after opened as a Route 66 Welcome Center for this historic town. |
 Ambler/Becker Texaco
Dwight, Illinois
1933 - 1990s
Restored April 2007
For more information and photographs visit the Dwight 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. |
 Art's Motel/Restaurant
Farmersville, Illinois
19?? - present
Sign restored May 2007
For more information and photographs visit the Farmersville page.
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An almost hidden treat just north of Pontiac in Livingston County, this barn sits back several hundred feet from Route 66 between the old US highway and Interstate 55. Freeway travelers are denied the gorgeous view of this classic rural homestead atop a rolling meadow that leads down to the Mother Road, while those crusing Route 66 are supplied a turn-out on the old southbound lanes in order to stop and partake in the beauty. Efforts were made to repaint and restore the barn in 1998, one of the earlier of the recent projects along the highway in Illinois. |
 Meramec Caverns Barn
Cayuga, Illinois
Restored 1998
For more information and photographs visit the Cayuga page.
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Southbound I-55 travelers are able to catch a glimpse of the restored paint job on this barn about one mile north of Hamel in Madison County, but any real road warrior looks on from Route 66 which serves as the west frontage road here. An overpass just to the north of the barn provides an even better view of the makeshift billboard for the mid-Missouri tourist destination. A fresh coat of paint was applied in 2001, several years after the barn hours north in Cayuga was refreshed. |
 Meramec Caverns Barn
Hamel, Illinois
Restored April 2001
For more information and photographs visit the Hamel page.
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One of the most unique, fascinating and telling artifacts literally unearthed along the Mother Road is this exhibit along the east side of the old two-lane highway in Odell. With most of the town on the east side of the highway and the school on the west side, a pedestrian underpass was built so children could safely walk to school without having to brave the ridiculous amount of traffic on Route 66. Lost for decades after the road moved west of town to the bypass, John Weiss and loads of volunteers dug out the east side entryway to the tunnel in 2006 and installed a guardrail and signage to show off this amazing relic of a busy time in this small Central Illinois community. |
 Pedestrian Underpass
Odell, Illinois
1930s
Restored May 2006
For more information and photographs visit the Odell 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. To this day members of the Route 66 Association of Illinois work tirelessly to help the Edwards maintain the area and keep it as a memorial to the longtime establishment. |
 Pig-Hip Restaurant
Broadwell, Illinois
1937 - 1991
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
Restored 2004
For more information and photographs visit the Mount Olive 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. |
Standard Oil Station
Odell, Illinois
1932 - 1960s
Restored ~2000
For more information and photographs visit the Odell page.
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Originally located outside of Paul Bunyon's Restaurant far to the north in Cicero, Tall Paul came to reside in Atlanta after the business he stood watch over closed and a new home for him became necessary. John and Lenore Weiss stepped in to offer Atlanta as a home, and the picturesque downtown of the McLean County community now plays host to the Muffler Man statue as his giant hot dog makes travelers drool with hunger. This restoration serves as a shining example as more artifacts get moved to different locations in order to save a piece of Route 66 history. |
 Tall Paul Statue
Atlanta, Illinois
1932 - 1960s
Moved 2003
For more information and photographs visit the Atlanta page.
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