Lincoln Highway News

A Lincoln Highway kiosk debuted October 3 in the Phillips Park Visitor Center, 1000 Ray Moses Drive, Aurora, Illinois. The kiosk, including a computer terminal, is a project of the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition. An official unveiling is being planned.

Phillips Park, along Hill Avenue/Lincoln Highway just south of the city, is already known to LH fans as a former overnight auto camp opened by the Aurora Automobile Club about 1923. A brick pavilion with fireplaces was recently restored and augmented with interpretive plaques and brochures for attractions along the LH.

Coalition Associate Director Diane Rossiter (who provided the top two photos) says the 3-sided kiosk recounts the basic history of the LH and highlights a few of the state’s most interesting stories. The main feature tells the story of the Mooseheart Child City and School to the north on IL 31/LH. Moose members from across the U.S. raised $12,000 and then literally helped build the first paved section of the Lincoln Highway in front of the building. In appreciation of their efforts, the state later paved an extra 10-foot-wide section still visible in front of Mooseheart.

The computer is hooked to the coalition’s website, which has information about events and communities along the LH in Illinois. Web site visitors there or at home can also send “E-Postcards” or share a travel story to be posted online.

Other projects of the coalition include an Interpretive Center at the Dixon Welcome Center and a traveling exhibit currently at the Flagg Township Museum, 518 4th Ave, Rochelle (open Thur – Sun, 11 am – 4 pm). The exhibit will move at the start of 2008. Here it is at in July when I saw it at the Joliet Area Historical Museum:

The coalition publishes a visitor’s guide, available at the each LH town’s chamber or welcome center, at highway rest stops and info centers across the state. You can also email info@drivelincolnhighway.com or call toll free (866) 455-4249.

Tags: Aurora, Dixon, exhibit, IL, Joliet, kiosk, Mooseheart, museum, pavilion, Rochelle

This entry was posted on November 1, 2007 at 2:10 pm and is filed under highways, roadside, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.