Story Circle

Our thanks to Grundy County Representative, Ike Widner, for writing and submitting the following account of a Halloween-season excursion taken recently by Association members to Bachelor's Grove Cemetery.

On October 27th, 2012, members of the Route 66 Association took a ride up to Bachelor's Grove Cemetery around 2:30 pm. The day was crisp and the sun was shining with some clouds over the horizon. The park was filled with many spectators walking to the cemetery to see if one could see a ghost or an impression of any figure that lay in the distance or any orbs of colors that filled the air. As we approached the cemetery with our group, we noticed many other thrill-seekers and adventurers out as well. Reaching the point of the entrance many people were walking around the cemetery, looking at the ruins that laid under their feet, hoping that an apparation would appear to them.

Our thanks to Misty Bell of Logan County Tourism for providing the following information for us to share:

Lincoln Theater 4 is proud to present Steven Spielberg’s latest epic, “Lincoln,” on Friday, November 16th. This movie, which was more than 10 years in the making, stars Daniel Day- Lewis as U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd. Evening shows and activities are planned for opening night, allowing the community named for Lincoln by Lincoln to come out and enjoy history as it comes alive on the big screen.

We thank Geoff Ladd of Logan County Tourism for providing the following story for us to share:

LINCOLN, IL – Hallies on the Square will celebrate a decade of business in downtown Lincoln with an anniversary party planned for Saturday, Oct. 20.

The anniversary special is a $5 blue plate schnitzel with soda and chips. Timeless Presentations of Bloomington-Normal will give a living history portrayal between 3 and 6 p.m.

Brian Huffman, who owns and operates Hallies, is the great-grandson of Blossom Huffman. Blossom once owned and operated The Mill restaurant, a Route 66 establishment know as “the home of the schnitzel.”

We are grateful to local historian and author, Joseph D. Kubal for researching, writing and submitting this informative and comprehensive article about the history and future of St. Mary Carmelite Church in Joliet, Illinois. The saving and repurposing of the grand structure represents a huge win for preservation efforts along Route 66.

Be certain to scroll past the Bibliography for a complete Timeline of the life and times of St. Mary Carmelite Church provided by the author.

By Joseph D. Kubal

It has all the earmarks of that classic 1945 movie, “The Bells of St. Mary’s” starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman, but with some unusual twists. In the Academy Award-winning film, Crosby, as Father Charles "Chuck" O'Malley, portrays an unconventional priest who helps save a Catholic school from being demolished. Does life now imitate art? Perhaps.

Scott Henry, an unconventional developer with Celadon Holdings, LLC, of Northbrook, Illinois is trying to save another St. Mary’s. St. Mary Carmelite Church at 113 North Ottawa Street is in the heart of downtown Joliet. Located on Historic Route 66, this unoccupied Catholic Church also may be spared from a wrecking ball – but this is where the similarity to the movie ends. Henry proposes the renovation of the old church complex from a dormant, physically dilapidated church building complex into a vibrant 40-unit senior housing center for low income residents age 55 and older. And he has complete faith that this will happen.

Henry is an ardent fan and booster of Route 66. He believes in promoting the adaptive reuse project as a stopping point of interest for those traversing old Route 66 (its downtown detour along Ottawa skirts the front of the building). The housing project’s name reflects that interest: it’s been dubbed The Limestone Residences along the Mother Road. Henry’s plans include the creation of a Route 66 visitors’ center with displays highlighting Route 66 churches and other historical themes. The visitors’ center would be located in the remodeled building’s ground level foyer and would be open to the public during normal business hours. One display may be modeled after the wayside markers installed along the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway – or may even be created in association with the state’s scenic byway authority.

Our sincere thanks to Brian L. Alexander for writing and submitting the following article about the restoration of the Route 66 icon, the Boots Motel, in Carthage, Missouri.

By Brian L. Alexander

Fran and I decided to go with the Route 66 Association of Missouri, September, two years ago, on their Road Tour. We had so much fun the previous year; we had to do it again the following year. We started in Miami Oklahoma, not too far from Joplin Missouri. We drove a short thirteen miles of Route 66 through Kansas and made our way, back through Missouri, all the way back to Leasburg. The entire group had lunch at Skippy’s, a bar and grill in Leasburg, the tours’ end. (Leasburg is little more than hour southwest of St. Louis, on Route 44 - (Actually Skippy’s is on Old Route 66). The Ozark Countryside was as beautiful last fall, as it was the previous year.

We toured the thirteen miles of US Route 66 through Kansas, our tour then took us through Joplin, Missouri and then onto Carthage Missouri.

The Boot’s Motel was one of our Passport Stops. We pulled up to the Boots Motel in Carthage Missouri; as a Route 66 Roadie I knew the buildings were going to be remodeled. My second thought was how did this place miss the wrecking ball? In fact it was purchased by a developer who intended on tearing it down and plans were in the works for it to be a Walgreens Drug Store but preservationists lobbied for its survival.

Our thanks to Keith Yearman, associate professor of geography at the College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL, and co-author of the upcoming book, The Curious Traveler’s Guide to Route 66 in Metro Chicago, form which this story is partially excerpted.

By Keith Yearman

One of the more dramatic and tragic incidents in the history of U.S. Route 66 played out in the air on July 6, 1930. What began as a stunt ended in death. Had it not involved a fatality, it would have been grist for a screwball comedy of the decade.

A reader named Helen has written into our website with the following question about a highway sign. Can you help her out? If so, please answer in the comments of this post.

Hello Everyone...We have had this sign in our garage for decades. I just began exploring the history of Route 66 and I am fascinated. However, all of the old signs I see posted read "ILLINOIS U.S. 66" whereas ours reads only "ILLINOIS 66." On the back it reads "State of Illinois Div. of Highways Dist. No.". It is made of a very heavy steel and definitely genuine. Can anyone tell us when this was manufactured and used on Route 66?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Click the photo to view a full-size image of the sign.

Our sincere thanks to Keith A. Sculle for writing this piece and providing the accompanying photos.

By Keith A. Sculle

A few blocks south of the Illinois State Fairgrounds, where Route 66 in Springfield turns from a diagonal (Peoria Road) into a north-south street (N. 9th Street), progress made its way in late-August-early-September 2012. Five veteran buildings were readied for demolition so that the unsafe bend in the road could be converted into a curve. It will permit safer sight-lines. On the west side, a two-story building (most recently The Sazerac restaurant), a tiny motel (built c. 1960), and a two-story brick building were readied to be razed.

Capitol City Motel sign, looking north (February 2012)

Our thanks to Malise Gallardo for sending along the following information about the Miracle League of Joliet:

I am writing on behalf of the Miracle League of Joliet, an organization that provides children with mental and/or physical challenges the opportunity to play baseball in an organized league. There is something about playing the game of baseball that lights up a child’s eyes, but for children facing physical and mental challenges that opportunity can be difficult to access. The Miracle League provides these children a chance to play the sport, regardless of limitations.

The Miracle League of Joliet will be hosting the
1st Annual Wheels for Diamonds Motorcycle Run

WE NEED RIDERS!

September 29, 2012

Pontiac Illinois is a fantastic tourist destination!

Click here to see the September and October 2012 calendar of events for the town and get some Route 66 kicks in Pontiac!