Route 66 Association of Illinois

Where The Road Begins

Point of Interest

White Fence Farm

Hall of Fame member, inducted 1998

1376 Joliet Road, Romeoville, Illinois 60446, United States

The White Fence Farm was established in the early 1920s by Stuyvesant ‘Jack’ Peabody, son of Peabody Coal Company founder Francis S. Peabody and himself CEO of Peabody Coal at the time. It was opened on a 12-acre plot that Peabody owned across what would become U.S. Route 66 from his 450-acre horse farm. It is said that Jack Peabody often had weekend guests at his horse farm, but there was no restaurant in the area where he could entertain them – so he started one himself. The roadside restaurant, which opened in a converted farmhouse, was known then for its hamburger sandwiches and Guernsey milk products, including ice cream.

By the time U.S. Route 66 opened in November 1926, White Fence Farm had already served several thousand customers. It was reviewed several times during the Peabody years by the early restaurant critic Duncan Hines, who had been a fan of the restaurant since the late 1920s. After Prohibition ended, Jack Peabody promoted California wines at the restaurant and helped to revive the California wine industry, as he had earlier helped to revive thoroughbred horse racing in Illinois during the 1910s and 1920s. Peabody operated the restaurant successfully until his death in 1946. After that, the restaurant was first leased to several different renters, then eventually sold by Jack’s son, Stuyvesant Peabody Jr.

Since 1954, the restaurant has been owned and operated by the Hastert family. Robert Hastert Sr. was the first family owner-manager. Hastert had begun as a wholesale poultry dealer at the Aurora Poultry Market during World War II and later owned the Harmony House restaurant in Aurora, Illinois, which he had opened four years before he bought White Fence Farm. The property had gone through several operators/owners after being sold by the Peabody estate.

The restaurant building has expanded several times under the Hasterts. It now has several dining rooms, with seating for more than 1,000 customers. It also features a side room and gallery that includes an antique car collection, other antiques, and Jack Peabody’s collection of original Currier & Ives prints, among other nostalgic displays. During the summer, the restaurant has an outdoor petting zoo.

Phone: (630) 739-1720

https://whitefencefarm-il.com/

Mon: Closed
Tue - Sat: 04:00 pm – 08:00 pm
Sun: 12:00 pm – 08:00 pm

The Berghoff

Hall of Fame member, inducted 2006

17 W Adams St. Chicago, IL 60603

The Berghoff is a rarity in America’s restaurant industry—100% family-owned and -operated for more than a century.
It began with an immigrant and a dream…

Read more here.

Phone: (312) 427-3170 Email: info@berghoff.com https://www.theberghoff.com/

Tues-Sat from 12:00 PM — Last Seating at 7:30 PM.

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/

Chain of Rocks Bridge

Hall of Fame member, inducted 1998

Riverview Dr, St Louis, MO 63137, USA

The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River between Chocteau Island on the east and St Louis, Missouri on the west was built in 1929 as part of the construction of Route 66. One of the bridge’s most unique features is the bend located about half-way through it’s one mile stretch. Today this Bridge is the world’s longest pedestrian and bicycle bridge. The Chain of rocks Bridge is open for foot and bicycle travel year-round and opens for vehicular traffic during special car events.

Our Lady of the Highways Shrine

Hall of Fame member, inducted 1990

22353 W Frontage Rd, Raymond, IL 62560, United States

Located along Historic Route 66 in the panhandle of Montgomery County, Illinois, the Shrine of Our Lady of the Highways has watched over travelers along the Mother Road and Interstate 55 since the late 1950’s. While much of the pavement of Route 66 has been returned to the fields of rural Central Illinois, the Shrine remains as a testament to the weary traveler and Mother Mary’s guidance and protection over the highway and her travelers.

The Carrara Marble Statue of Our Lady of Lourdes from Italy was originally constructed as a high school project. It is inscribed “Mary, Loving Mother of Jesus, Protect us on the Highway”. Also along the road from this site is a trail of Burma Shave type signs of the Hail Mary.

Mother Jones Monument

Old Reservoir Road, Mount Olive, IL, United States

Mother Jones fought for coal miner’s rights and this monument honors the famous labor activist. The miners that were killed in the 1898 Virden mining riot are buried in this cemetery and Mother Jones is there where she wanted to be laid to rest with “her boys.”

http://www.motherjonesmuseum.org/museum/

Brooks Catsup Bottle

Hall of Fame member, inducted 2008

800 South Morrison Avenue, Collinsville, IL, United States

This is one of Collinsville most unique attractions. The “bottle” served as a water tower for the catsup maker since it was built in 1949. This roadside attraction is Americana at its finest. You may have to wander off 66 a bit to find it, but it’s worth the effort. Local volunteers keep the catsup bottle looking its best.

http://www.catsupbottle.com