This nostalgic barn has been restored by volunteers of the Route 66 Association of Illinois Preservation Committee. August 30, 1998 — — Map (db m157025) HM
One-half mile north on the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad occured one of the worst wrecks in American rail history. An excursion train- two engines and approximately 20 wooden coaches - from Peoria to Niagara Falls, struck a burning culvert. Of . . . — — Map (db m30042) HM
In 1879, Leslie E. Keeley, M.D., a Civil War surgeon; Major Curtis J. Judd, a retired Army officer and bookkeeper; and John R. Oughton, a chemist, formed the first institution to recognize and medically treat alcoholism as a disease. The Leslie E. . . . — — Map (db m158335) HM
The architecture of Dwight has always attracted Route 66 travelers. The Keeley Institute for treating alcoholism was founded here and brought the Village national attention. As the institute gained popularity, Dwight became a “model . . . — — Map (db m158401) HM
Built in 1933, Ambler's Texaco was the longest operating service station to pump gas on historic Route 66.
Recognized by Hampton Hotels Save-A-Landmark program as a site worth seeing — — Map (db m189147) HM
The village of Cardiff was built on this site in 1899, after the discovery of
underground coal deposits. A mine was sunk and a relatively large town developed
within months. The town, originally known as North Campus, incorporated as the
Village . . . — — Map (db m47311) HM
(front:)
Route 66, the Mother Road, is an American icon that symbolizes romance and freedom of the open road. Born in 1926, Route 66 was one of the first numbered U.S. highways, journeying 2,500 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Today, . . . — — Map (db m158308) HM
The Ambler-Becker Texaco Station operated longer than any service station on Route 66. It was run by local families for 66 years, from 1933-1999. Flats were fixed, breakdowns towed, and at times, the spirits of weary travelers restored. . . . — — Map (db m158375) HM
During the heyday of Route 66 from the 1930s to the 50s, there were no motel chains. Instead, local families operated small campgrounds, cabins, and motor courts. The Paulsen-Strufe Motel, built in 1935, was more than just a place to stay; it . . . — — Map (db m158384) HM
The Pioneer Gothic Church was built in 1857. The Architecture is called Carpenter Gothic Architecture. One of Dwight's founders Richard P. Morgan, Jr. donated the land for the church. The Historical Society raised $29,000 to completely renovate the . . . — — Map (db m158331) HM
Lions Lake is a testament to the changing face of Route 66. Dwight started as a farming community on the Chicago & Alton Railroad. When automobiles began replacing horses, people demanded better roads. Borrow pits, like Lions Lake, supplied the . . . — — Map (db m158382) HM
The Windmill is located on what was formerly the Oughton Estate. It was built in 1896 to supply water to the Oughton Estate. In 1977 the Ohlendorf family replaced the head with a new one shipped from South America. This head was again repaired in . . . — — Map (db m187600) HM
(center:)
In Honor and Memory
of those from the
Dwight Area who died
while serving their country.
(left:)
Albert Tunberg - Army - WWI
Harald Christopher - Navy - WWII
Marion Asa - Navy - WWII
Thomas Wiemken . . . — — Map (db m158334) WM
The Citizens of Dwight would like to invite you to visit not only the four Historic Landmarks pictured above, but to view the many other historic sites nestled within our village. The Pioneer Gothic Church was built in 1857 and is presently used as . . . — — Map (db m158336) HM
This restoration is a project of the Route 66 Association of Illinois Preservation Committee. Identified November 9, 1997 on the National Register of Historic Places. — — Map (db m157019) HM
From 1926 to 1946 this road was known as the "Mother Road" or Route 66
During this period traffic was so congested that it became necessary to build an underground passage to safely cross church goers and school children. You are now standing . . . — — Map (db m157023) HM
This venerable old bridge enters its golden years serving slow traffic on a city street, but it started life in the fast lane of the "hard road." In 1924, Illinois Route 4 became the first paved road to connect Chicago with St. Louis. Only two . . . — — Map (db m158825) HM
Civic leaders welcomed Route 66 through Pontiac in 1926 as a boon for business. However, parents were concerned about their children crossing this "dangerous speedway.' As a solution, the State Highway Commission excavated a tunnel under the . . . — — Map (db m158311) HM
Left Section
When word of President Lincoln’s assassination came, most of Pontiac’s male population had not yet returned from the Civil War. But their wives and children remained, and when word was received that the special train . . . — — Map (db m29731) HM
Left Section
Riding the Eighth Judicial Circuit, Lincoln pleaded cases in Livingston County’s first courthouse located on this site. But these events almost did not come to pass. The town proprietors had promised a courthouse, which two . . . — — Map (db m29675) HM
On boulder
In Honor of our
Desert Storm Veterans
1990 1991
Dedication Plaque
May 17, 1992 - - a special dedication,
memories - - sweet n’ bitter recollections.
August 1990, U.S. troops deployed to a . . . — — Map (db m29759) WM
Top Section Photo
Lincoln’s good friend Jesse Fell had more to do with shaping early events in Livingston County and Pontiac than any other man. He named the county and, in 1837, was instrumental in having the county seat located here. . . . — — Map (db m29727) HM
The original bridge was built in 1926 as part of Route 4. On November 11, 1926, the alignment of Route 4 through Pontiac became US Route 66. In early days, the highways were marked with paint using a stencil on utility poles and on bridge end posts. . . . — — Map (db m157015) HM
You are traveling on one of the most famous roads in the world. On September 25, 2005, Illinois Route 66 was designated as a National Scenic Byway by the U.S. Department of Transportation. — — Map (db m158309) HM
The Oldest Brick Home
in Pontiac, Illinois
A restoration project of the
Livingston County Historical Society
The Jones House
is listed on the
National Register
of Historic Places — — Map (db m29757) HM
Upper Section
When Abraham Lincoln rode into Pontiac that rainy day, he found few cabins, and those were so scattered and hidden among the clumps of bushes that they were rendered almost invisible. Lincoln stayed overnight in a log . . . — — Map (db m29683) HM
Left Section
Abraham Lincoln spoke in
the little Presbyterian Church
on the northwest corner of
Livingston and Mill streets on
Jan. 27, 1860, shortly before being nominated for the presidency at the Republican . . . — — Map (db m29719) HM
Left Section
In February 1855,Abraham Lincoln was with a group of sixty passengers stranded in Pontiac after a train, bound for Springfield from Chicago, became mired in a snowdrift just this side of where the village of Cayuga was . . . — — Map (db m29717) HM
Left Section
While sitting up late the night of January 27, 1860, in the Pontiac home of Jason Strevell, Abraham Lincoln
predicted he would be nominated for the vice presidency of the young Republican party. In a letter to . . . — — Map (db m29725) HM
Left Section
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas were opposing attorneys during Livingston County’s first regular term of circuit court, which was held on this site May 18 and 19, 1840, in Henry Weed’s log cabin. In the first . . . — — Map (db m29676) HM
Center section
In honor of the men and women of Livingston County,
whose dedication and service to their country will
never be forgotten.
(Seals - Branches of the United States Military)
Left section
Korea . . . — — Map (db m29756) WM
Pontiac would not have become the successful city it now is without the presence of the early mills which ground grain, sawed lumber, and manufactured wool for the settlers of the area. The earliest mill was built on the bank of the Vermilion River . . . — — Map (db m158820) HM
Route 66 has become a nostalgic symbol of Americana. This display honors just one of the many mom & pop businesses that served weary travelers on the Mother Road. At it's original location, many thousands of people from around the world stopped to . . . — — Map (db m163373) HM
For decades the bricks to build this pathway were covered by asphalt on Washington St. in Pontiac. They were unearthed during a road work project in 2008. Until 1930 this stretch of Washington Street was the detour route for Illinois Route 4 (SBI . . . — — Map (db m163376) HM
Route 66 was one of the most dangerous roads in the nation, earning it the nickname “Bloody 66.” From this District 6 Headquarters building, State Police patrolled the hard road between Dwight and McLean. They enforced safety laws . . . — — Map (db m158312) HM
Pontiac organizer of the conspiracy which bears his name, was born on the Maumee River in what is now Ohio, in 1720. As Chief, he led the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians at Braddocks (sic) defeat July 9, 1755. When France surrendered Canada to the . . . — — Map (db m29751) HM
This property has been
placed on the
National Register
Of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Circa 1900 — — Map (db m163375) HM
(front:)
Route 66, the Mother Road, is an American icon that symbolizes romance and freedom of the open road. Born in 1926, Route 66 was one of the first numbered U.S. highways, journeying 2,500 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Today, . . . — — Map (db m158306) HM
This building was home to state troopers who risked their lives every day patrolling Route 66.
By the 1940s, Route 66 carried more traffic than any other highway in the state. The Illinois District 6 State Police Headquarters was built . . . — — Map (db m158812) HM
Photo Text - Upper Section
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, young attorneys who had faced each other earlier in Livingston County’s first court case, later the same day debated political issues at this very site. At the Old . . . — — Map (db m29689) HM
Bob Waldmire was born near Springfield in 1945. His prolonged passion for Route 66 began in 1962 when his parents took the entire family on a motoring trip to California via Route 66. During that trip, Bob fell in love with the Mother Road and all . . . — — Map (db m163377) HM
Route 66 provided a steady income for family businesses like Joe and Victor "Babe" Selotis' Log Cabin Inn. Joe barbecued beef and pork on a spit out back, while Babe filled gas tanks and fixed flats. When Route 66 was relocated to the backside . . . — — Map (db m158821) HM
The Illinois State Police was formed in 1922 to protect motorists.
Twenty officers patrolled the state on surplus World War I Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Radio-equipped cycles revolutionized communications in the 1930s. The ISP shifted . . . — — Map (db m158810) HM
1917 – 1919
In memory
of the soldiers sailors and nurses
of Livingston County who made the
supreme sacrifice during the World War
Row One
George E. Personette • William Durre • Burt McCoy • Victor V. Vahldieck . . . — — Map (db m29778) WM
Etched in Stone
In memory of those men and women of Livingston County who served in
World War II
1941 - 1945
Bronze Marker
1941 – 1945
To the eternal memory of the men
of Livingston County
Global . . . — — Map (db m29785) WM
