Welcome to the Atlanta Route 66 Park

Welcome to the Atlanta Route 66 Park. . As a respite for Rt. 66 travelers and other visitors, the City of Atlanta invites you to relax and enjoy the Atlanta Route 66 Park. , This Information Booth is here to provide you with information about sites to see and things to do in Atlanta. If the Information Booth is closed, cross the street to the Atlanta Public Library where the staff will be glad to help you. , The Information Booth began its career as the Ticket Office of the Atlanta Fair. The Fair operated on the southwest edge of Atlanta from 1860 until 1829, being eventually replaced by the Logan County Fair which now resides in Lincoln, Illinois. The photo above shows the Ticket Office as it looked when it stood at the entrance to the Atlanta Fair grounds. In the photo's background, you can see some of the fair buildings, as well as part of the original grandstand. At the height of its operations, buildings on the fair grounds included the Poultry Building, Floral Hall, and the Amphitheater. , The Ticket Office served the Atlanta Fair well for many years. Now, in its new location, it stands ready to serve Atlanta once again, offering all who stop in the Atlanta Route 66 Park helpful information and a sincere welcome., (aside:), On the sidewalk leading up to the Information Booth are two other pieces of Atlanta's history. , The larger stone is the cornerstone of the Atlanta High School, constructed in 1909. When the Atlanta Community Unit School District #16 consolidated with the Olympia Community Unit School District #16 in the early 1970s, the Atlanta High School was torn down. In the process, the cornerstone was removed and placed behind the Atlanta Public Library where it sat for many years before being installed here in the Atlanta Rt. 66 Park. The clock tower you see standing in front of the Library contains the original 1909 Seth Thomas clock which also came from the Atlanta High School. Members of the community saved the clock and had it housed in the tower, which was built in 1982. , The smaller stone along the sidewalk was dedicated by the Atlanta Knights of Pythias organization, as a memorial to veterans of World War I. The stone was placed under a Memorial Tree on November 11, 1921. At some unknown date, the stone was removed from its original location. It then rested beside the High School cornerstone behind the Library for many years. Research continues to identify the exact location of the memorial tree. No longer active in Atlanta, the Knights of Pythias, is an international fraternity founded in 1864, whose motto was Friendship, Charity and Benevolence.