Signs. Signs. Everywhere: signs.
With their nationwide uniformity and constant presence in the lower levels of US airspace we usually take for granted the art of the roadside sign these days, a practice once forged in the competition - often desperation - to grab business in the heyday of the US highway system. The flashiest letters and brightest neon could make the difference between your local establishment looking like a fly-by-night operation or like the toast of the town, and thus getting the dollars of that vacationing family of four. Who wants to stay at the motor court with the boring sign?
One of the most important aspects of Route 66 restoration today is the sign, often the most brilliant and accessible example of roadside marketing. Featured here are some of the best examples of signage along the Mother Road in Illinois, though this listing should hardly be considered comprehensive even of what can be found along the road - nor even on this website.
Several gas stations are featured below, but a few others are covered elsewhere on this site. Check out the
Gas/Service Stations page for a complete listing. Two old Meramec Caverns billboards in Illinois make their living as a barn; check those out on the
Barns 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
For more information and photographs visit the Farmersville page.
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An endangered relic trapped in an area of industrial expansion, this sign remains from the days when Edwardsville and Granite City residents could travel a few miles out of town and take in a double feature along Route 66. The screen and buildings were demolished after the business closed in 1987, but (most of) the sign remains to this day, watching over the intersection of Chain of Rocks Road (Route 66) and Illinois 111. Much of the land around it has been developed into warehouse space and truck stops, and hopefully if the same fate befalls this lot the sign can be saved and put on display somewhere else along Route 66. |
 Bel-Air Drive-In
Mitchell, Illinois
1950s - 1987
For more information and photographs visit the Mitchell page.
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Chain of Rocks Road between Edwardsville and the Mississippi River is not the nicest neighborhood along Route 66, particularly on the south side of Interstate 270. That said, as you approach the Chain of Rocks Bridge several motels leap out at you from the north side of the road. The Chain of Rocks Motel and the Land of Lincoln Motel are hidden here, shackled to a road that few from out of town will ever travel and unable to be seen from the interstate. It's worth a trip through here on the way to the COR Bridge to catch a glimpse of these two retro motor courts and their amazing signage before they disappear. |
 COR, Land of Lincoln
Mitchell, Illinois
19?? - present
For more information and photographs visit the Chain of Rocks page.
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This old billboard pointing travelers to a cocktail lounge lingered on the old road a mile or so south of Mount Olive (just south of the bypass split) for years and years until it disappeared around 2004. The googie-esque design of the structure made it a classic Route 66 relic, and its presence on this stretch of four-lane highway is missed. |
 Cocktails Sign
Mount Olive, Illinois
Destroyed ~2004
For more information and photographs visit the Mount Olive page.
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One of the toughest challenges for a small town along Route 66 in Illinois was attracting those hordes of travelers into the city itself. With the road skirting the edge of most communities, the business district was often not along the Mother Road itself. This is the case in Lexington, and in the late 40's the town started to let travelers how to find downtown by erecting a neon sign on the west side of the bypass to point the way east. The sign stands to this day and the neon shines at night, a relic of when this - not I-55 - was the busy stretch through Livingston County. |
 Lexington Neon Sign
Lexington, Illinois
1949 - present
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. |
Luna Cafe
Mitchell, Illinois
19?? - present
For more information and photographs visit the Mitchell page.
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Only relics remain from this McLean County hotspot that attracted teens and tourists from all over Central Illinois to the south side of Lexington. With the old two-lane alignment of Route 66 on the east side of the restaurant and the four-lane skirting by to the west, traffic flowed right to this classic drive-in for decades. Now the property sits in disrepair, the old sign that once promised you treats now crumbling and old, broken down cars sitting helpless under the rusting canopy. A sad sight in an otherwise gorgeous Route 66 community. |
Oasis Drive-In
Lexington, Illinois
19?? - 19??s
For more information and photographs visit the Lexington page.
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On the north end of Litchfield's 1930-1940 two lane alignment sits the SkyView 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 a $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. |
 Sky View Drive-In
Litchfield, Illinois
1951 - present
For more information and photographs visit the Litchfield page.
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This old roadside motel straddled the west side of Bypass 66 for decades, drawing good business from nearby Lambert International Airport just to the north. McDonnell-Douglas had its headquarters at Lambert, and many early astronauts had a good night's sleep at the Cour-Tel in the 1950s. The same proximity to the airport that supported the motel was ultimately its demise, as in 2002 the court closed up shop to make way for an expansion of the western Lambert runways. With all the property demolished and old Bypass 66 (now US 67) relocated as well, the neon blue sign that for decades welcomed travelers thankfully was saved and found its way to Staunton, IL and Henry's Rabbit Ranch. |
 Stanley Cour-Tel
St. Louis County, MO
19?? - 2002
Demolished 2002/03
For more information and photographs visit the StL Bypass 66
page.
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One of the most famous landmarks on Route 66, Ted Drewes' Frozen Custard has been serving up creamy concretes from their Chippewa location since 1941 when Ted Drewes, Sr. opened his location on the Mother Road to take advantage of the latest realignment of the highway in St. Louis. You don't have to be an expert on Route 66 to know about this St. Louis institution; it's not summer (or spring or fall) (or winter) in Mound City until you've stood outside the classic white cottage house and held your cup of custard upside down in an affront to Isaac Newton. |
 Ted Drewes
Saint Louis, Missouri
1941 - present
For more information and photographs visit the StL City 66 page.
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Once the last chance to fill up the Family Truckster before crossing the Mississippi, the relics of the Twin Oaks Gas For Less service station sit on the south side of Chain of Rocks Road on the approach to the Chain of Rocks Bridge. Newer stations dot the intersection with Illinois 3 just to the east of this classic sign. |
Twin Oaks Gas Station
Mitchell, Illinois
19?? - 19??s
For more information and photographs visit the Chain of Rocks page.
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Only the sign remains from this service station that sat on the east side of old two-lane Route 66 in Litchfield. Before "Vic" Suhling shilled his gasoline from the site the property was the first home to the historic Ariston Cafe which later moved across the street to its current location. The retro sign is easily visable from the intersection of Historic Route 66 and Illinois 16. |
Vic Suhling Gas For Less
Litchfield, Illinois
19?? - 19??s
For more information and photographs visit the Litchfield page.
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