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The Ultimate Guide Your next stop on Route 66

WELCOME TO ATLANTA The first road to connect these 2 cities was the Illinois Route 4 in 1924 The re designation to U S Route 66 occurred in 1926 bringing travelers from Chicago IL to Santa Monica CA Fun fact Atlantans were responsible for paying for construction and upkeep of the famous road within the city limits Early Atlanta Atlanta was founded in 1853 by Richard T Gill this location chosen due to the railroad and Gill s innate sense of its importance Xenia was the town s first name chosen by Gill s eldest sister s mother inlaw after her hometown in Ohio There was already a Xenia IL so the name was changed to Hamilton There too was already a Hamilton IL The city was renamed for a third time on February 14 1855 as Atlanta U S Historic Route 66 Illinois Route 4 Driving Exhibit Located on the corner of NE Arch Street and Sycamore Street on Google Maps Across from Holland Trucking Company

St Food Ar ch 1s tS t Attraction Shop SE Ra ce Vi ne St St E South St In the 1890s Union Hall housed JM Judy Sons Grocer Inside this building now sits the Welcome Center Museum and Arcade Museum a free playable arcade that runs on donations Please enter the Arcade Museum through the Welcome Center entrance Fun fact Union Hall is one of the oldest buildings in Atlanta Across from the Museum and Welcome Center is Route 66 Park This park commemorates Atlanta s past which includes the former Atlanta High School and the former Atlanta Fair Fun fact The first African American to graduate Atlanta High School was Walter White in 1884 and was valedictorian

Route 66 Park on Arch Street Along the path are markers and items from Atlanta s past including Knights of Pythias and Atlanta High School Follow the sidewalk to the Ticket Booth and look to the left you will see a bubbler fountain that used to be on the street corner Take a sip and enjoy the refreshingly cold water The red Ticket Office building is from the Agricultural Fair which was renamed the Atlanta Fair This fair was held in Atlanta yearly until 1930 In 1875 at the fair a famous barbecue took place AfricanAmericans in Atlanta hosted a barbecue to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation Learn more about the barbecue here

Atlanta Public Library Clock Tower In 1982 the clock tower construction commenced to house the 1909 Seth Thomas Clock from the former Atlanta High School This clock is still hand wounded 3 times a week by the Keepers of the Clock Fun Fact Lester Hunt was a janitor at the library became the Governor of Wyoming and then later served in the Senate The Atlanta Public Library Logan County s 1st public library The doors opened in 1873 in a different building On March 28 1908 this building opened as the new library Due to generous donations by the residents it was built debt free This library is the only octagonal public library in Illinois and is on the National Register of Historic Places In front of the library you will find Atlanta s Veterans Memorial This railroad once was the Chicago Alton St Louis Railroad now a line for cargo and the Amtrak These tracks carried corn and soybeans from Atlanta to major regional cities The JP Hieronymus Carriage House is the last carriage house still standing in Atlanta and was relocated to this spot This building was built in 1909 by John P Hieronymus to house the family s horse and carriage

JH Hawes Grain Elevator Welcome to the J H Hawes Grain Elevator a place where farmers would pay to have their grain stored It is the only fully restored wooden grain elevator in Illinois and 1 of 3 on the National Register of Historic Places J H Hawes built this grain elevator in 1904 with a 30 000 bushel capacity The elevator was used until 1976 then fell into disuse The restoration began in 1993 headed by Deanne May The Grain Elevator also has a selfguided tour or call the number on the door for a guided walking tour The Atlanta Col Mining Company Historical Mine saw multiple mining attempts in the late 1800s and early 1900s The failed coal mine s water was used to supply the citizens with water This was the start of Atlanta Water Works Inside you can view the mine hear the running water and read the story behind it Fun fact Frank Hoblit provided 2 barrels of water per day to the citizens who desired it to be used for drinking cooking and scrubbing

JH Hawes Grain Elevator to Chubby s Bar Grill Behind the historical mine and carriage house you will see a large yellow water tower with a smiley face It is affectionately known as Smiley Water Tower thanks to Billie Cheek Atlanta s longest serving Councilwoman On Vine Street across from Chubby s Bar Grill look across the street and you will see a beautiful window painting Wisteria Caf on the right Wisteria Caf was the place to go in the 1920s for ice cream and pop Now it is home to Arch Street Artisans a local shop Walk around the corner on the side of Chubby s Bar Grill a local favorite for burgers and you will see the Reisch Brewing Company Mural This location was the former outlet for Reisch Brewing Company based in Springfield After viewing the mural cross the street and take a right onto Arch St the street we started on and you will see a beautiful park with a sign in front of it and an eagle carved into a tree stump This is Xenia Park named in memory of Atlanta s 1st name Hall Atlanta City North Greens Golf Course Sip Shack

On Arch Street In front of Xenia Park is the panel detailing the Wide Awake March in Atlanta This was a very popular movement among young men who heavily advocated for Lincoln for President The banner shown on the sign was designed by an Atlantan dentist and carried by his nephew the leader of the Atlanta Wide Awake chapter Fun fact When Abraham Lincoln was officially nominated for President Atlantans were so thrilled they fired 33 rounds 1 round per state at the time in honor of the nomination A few doors down is the Atlanta Museum This museum tells Atlanta s history through the eyes of the residents There are exhibits about Atlanta High School Atlanta Fair Abraham Lincoln and so much more It is a great stop with free admission Next to the Atlanta Museum is the famous Palms Grill Caf aptly named after the owner returned from an enjoyable vacation in Southern California This caf is restored to circa the late 1920s When the Greyhound would come through Atlanta it would stop right outside the Palms Now it is home to Missy s Sweet Shoppe

The Bunyon Giant Arch Street Across the street you will see a very large 19 foot giant This is The Bunyon Giant Atlanta received him in 2003 on loan from the Stephens family Our Bunyon Giant holds a hotdog as he was previously used at a restaurant in icero IL which sold hot dogs This is one of Atlanta s most iconic landmarks You have finished our walking tour We recommend checking out the museums grab a bite to eat or a drink and do some shopping The Gift Box Country Aire Restaurant Chubby s Bar Grill Atlanta Fire Department and Walldog Mural Atlanta Truck Stop Dairy Queen

Historic U S Route 66 Illinois Route 4 Driving Exhibit How to find it It is across from Holland Trucking Company and on Google Maps where Sycamore St meets NE Arch Street For those who want an extra stop on their Atlanta tour we HIGHLY recommend checking out the Historic U S Route 66 Illinois Route 4 Driving Exhibit This exhibit is a quarter mile stretch of the 1924 Illinois Route 4 which was redesignated as U S Route 66 in 1926 The stretch deadends at a gravel lot and vehicles over 40 ft may have a hard time turning around The billboard is a replica of one in Atlanta circa the late 1920s and the signs along with the stretch replicas of originals including the yellow stop sign There is an Illinois Scenic Byway panel by the gravel lot which details the construction of the road through Atlanta www atlantaillinois org For donations to Tourism VisitAtlantaIL Paypal me visitatlantail tourismatlantail gmail com

Business Directory Attractions Restaurants Drinks Country Aire 606 E South St JH Hawes Grain Elevator JP 5 30am 8pm Sat Thurs 5 30am 9pm Fri Hieronymus 217 648 5330 Carriage House seasonal opening Chubby s Bar Grill 111 SW Arch St 199 203 SW 2nd St 309 830 8306 10am 12am Mon Thurs 10am 1am Fri Route 66 Park 105 SE Race St Sat 10am 9pm Sun 217 648 2615 Historic U S Route 66 Illinois Missy s Sweet Shoppe 112 SW Arch Route 4 Driving Exhibit always St hours vary open Corner of NE Arch and Dairy Queen 102 Empire St Sycamore on Google Maps 10am 9 30pm Sun Sat 217 650 2027 Route 66 Arcade Museum Casey s pizza 700 E South St seasonal 11am 3pm Wed Mon 4am 11pm Sun Sat 217 648 2141 Tues 12pm 3pm Sip Shack coffee shop 204 SW Arch Atlanta Museum seasonal 114 Street Mon Fri 6am 4pm Sat 7am 12pm SW Arch St 11am 3pm Wed Mon Shops Tues 12pm 3pm The Gift Box 301 SE Vine St Atlanta Visitors Center 10am 4pm Thurs Sat 12pm 4pm Sun seasonal 114 SW Arch St 11am10am 6pm Wed 309 660 5323 3pm Wed Mon Tues 12pm 3pm Arch Street Artisans seasonal 103 Atlanta Public Library 100 SE SW Arch St 9 30am 4 30 pm Tues Sat Race St 10am 3pm Mon 10 00amDollar General 101 Empire St 6 30pm Tues Thurs 10am 3pm 8am 9pm Sun Sat 309 512 8400 Wed Fri 10am 2pm Sat 217 648Casey s convenience store 700 2112 E South St 4am 11pm Sun Sat 217 648North Greens Golf Course 2141 seasonal Right end NE 1st St 217Atlanta Truck Stop Shell Gas 648 5500 Station 102 Empire St Red Wing Bowl 200 1st St City Hall 102 NW Vine St 5pm 11pm Mon Fri 10am 12am 8 30am 4 30pm Mon Fri 217 648 2351 Sat 1pm 6pm Sun 217 648 2350 Police Department 107 NE 1st St Atlanta s Parks 217 648 2373 www atlantapark org Atlanta Public Pool 105 NE 2nd St The Bunyon Giant 112 SW Arch St Atlanta Sports Complex 647 669 W North St