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Route 66 Association of Illinois

Where The Road Begins

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05-Livingston

First National Bank of Dwight

122 W Main St, Dwight, IL, United States

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright engineered the building of this bank in 1905. It is the only one of the three banks he designed still standing. It was expanded in 1970 and again in 1989. The general structure has not changed and the original woodwork has been kept intact.

Now the Peoples National Bank of Kewanee.

https://www.pnb-kewanee.com/

Old Log Cabin Restaurant

Hall of Fame member, inducted 1996

18700 Historic U.S. 66, Pontiac, IL 61764, United States

Log-style roadhouse cafe offering breakfast and old-school American comfort food, plus a full bar. This destination has been dishing up delicious fare since 1926.

Phone: (815) 842-2908

Route 66 Association Hall of Fame & Museum

We hope you’ll visit us soon for a complete Route 66 Experience all under one roof!

The Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum features thousands of artifacts and memorabilia related to Route 66 – The Mother Road.

Our Museum boasts:

  • Friendly and knowledgeable guides
  • Route 66 memorabilia from Hall of Fame members!
  • Route 66 artist and icon, Bob Waldmire’s bus and van!
  • Travel resources – explore the highway by visiting Route 66 towns on our flip-rack library!
  • A great photo op with the largest Route 66 shield mural, painted on our museum’s outside back wall!*
  • SO much more!

Testimonials:

Lyn Dennis (via our Facebook Fan page) says,

Gotta say that we just returned from spending time on The Mother Road and Illinois has done itself proud in trying to maintain the history of Rt 66. Pontiac deserves a medal. We would like to have spent HOURS there. We’ve promised ourselves a return trip. 🙂

We’re so glad we stopped here on our Route 66 trip! I can’t wait to visit again and see and meet more nice people. This Museum is truly a vibrant, changing tribute to the road.

View a slideshow of our fabulous museum – the next best thing to seeing it in person (and we hope you will!)

Museum mini

If you’d like to loan or donate Route 66 items to the Museum, please bring them in on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Thanks to everyone for your support!

110 W Howard St.
Pontiac, IL 61764
(815) 844-4566

Our Hall of Fame and Museum is handicapped-accessible. A wheelchair is available for use during your stay. An elevator to the second floor is available as well.

Open 7 Days a Week!
(Holiday exceptions: Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.)

Winter Hours (start November 1st)
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Summer Hours (start April 1st)
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Bob Waldmire Bus
Third Saturdays from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
(Note that limits may be in place for number of people on the bus at a time due to its close quarters.)

The Quintessential Route 66 Photo Op

*The Route 66 Shield mural on the back of our Hall of Fame and Museum, created by Diaz Sign Art of Pontiac, IL is the largest painted Route 66 Shield in the world. Since its creation in 2007, it has become a huge tourist attraction of its own merit and is an extremely popular photo op for visitors to Pontiac.

To celebrate the popularity of this quintessential Route 66 photo op located literally in our own back yard, we’re compiling a slideshow of photos of it taken by visitors to the mural. It’s an ever-growing collection – is your photo included?

Click to submit your photos of/with our pride and joy, the Route 66 Shield.

Route 66 Mural, Pontiac, IL

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Upcoming Events

May 22
May 22 - May 26

American Giants Weekend 2025

May 25
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm CDT

Route 66 Cruisers Cruises

Jun 13
June 13 - June 15

Motor Tour 2025 – A Bridge to the Giants

Jun 20
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm CDT

Lincoln Third Fridays Downtown

View Calendar

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Donations Fuel Our Mission!

Your donation to our Association helps support our efforts to preserve, promote, educate and enjoy Route 66 in Illinois. We are a volunteer organization; 100% of donations are allocated to preservation efforts along the Mother Road in Illinois (never to administrative or housekeeping expenses). We thank you for your generous donation toward maintaining our nostalgic slice of Americana.

Route 66 Association of Illinois
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