On North Division Street north of West Jefferson Street, on the right when traveling south.
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
On Prairie Street at North Ladd Street, on the right when traveling east on Prairie Street.
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
On North Vermillion Street south of West Madison Street, on the left when traveling south.
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
On West Washington Street west of North Mill Street, on the left when traveling east.
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 North Mill Street north of West Washington Street, on the right when traveling north.
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
On North Vermillion Street south of West Madison Street, on the left when traveling south.
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
On North Division Street north of West Jefferson Street.
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
On North Main Street south of West Howard Street (Illinois Route 116), on the right when traveling south.
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
On East Madison Street, on the right when traveling east.
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
On North Mill Street at Vermilion River Bridge (West Side of Mill Street), on the right when traveling south on North Mill Street.
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
On West Livingston Street, on the right when traveling west.
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
On North Oak Street south of West Madison Street, on the right when traveling south.
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
On West Livingston Street, on the right when traveling west.
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
On North Chicago Street north of East Washington Street, on the right when traveling north.
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
On North Mill Street at West Madison Street, on the right when traveling north on North Mill Street.
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
On West Water Street east of North Mill Street, on the right when traveling west.
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
On West Lincoln Avenue north of West Custer Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
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
On West Washington Street at North Main Street, on the left when traveling east on West Washington Street.
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
On North Main Street (Illinois Route 116) west of North Main Street, on the right when traveling east.
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
On North Main Street south of West Howard Street (Illinois Route 116), on the right when traveling south.
(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
On North Mill Street at Vermilion River Bridge (East Side of Mill Street), on the left when traveling south on North Mill Street.
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
On Old U.S. 66, 0.3 miles north of E 1500 N Rd, on the right when traveling south.
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
On North Mill Street north of West Washington Street, on the right when traveling north.
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
On North Mill Street north of West Washington Street, on the right when traveling north.
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
