LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The 33rd roadside mural from the llinois Lincoln Highway Coalition was installed at 137 East 14th Street, Chicago Heights, Illinois. The mural depicts a vintage photo of the McEldowney Bridge that once crossed Thorn Creek in Chicago Heights and Henry C. Ostermann, the Lincoln Highway Association Field Secretary who traveled the Lincoln Highway to inspect it. Chicago Heights is known as the “Crossroads of the Nation” where the Lincoln and Dixie Highways intersect. A special element in this mural is the “L” sign, a three-dimensional piece attached directly to the mural surface.
Another mural was installed the same day in Crest Hill, at 1701 Larkin Avenue in the Hillcrest Shopping Center. The story was also reported at nwitimes.com. For more information or to download an Illinois Lincoln Highway Visitor Guide, visit drivelincolnhighway.com.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The Village of Lynwood, Illinois, sports the newest mural in the Illinois Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor’s series that spans the 179-mile Illinois byway corridor. Lynwood marks the eastern terminus to the Illinois portion of the Lincoln Highway. The mural wasinstalled October 10, 2012, at 21490 East Lincoln Highway, on Lynwood’s Senior/Youth Center building.
ILHC works with artist Jay Allen (above, installing the mural), owner of ShawCraft Sign Company; every mural is a hand painted, unique work of art. Upon completion, the series will be one of the largest works of public art in the country. This mural depicts Carl G. Fisher, the “Father of the Lincoln Highway” and elements of his life that helped turn his dream of the first transcontinental highway into a reality.
For more information on the Illinois Lincoln Highway, places to see and things to do, stories of the highway’s significance and history, or to download an Illinois Lincoln Highway Visitor Guide, visit drivelincolnhighway.com. To see the mural larger, visit my Facebook page at facebook.com/groups/28162312417/.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
A new mural was placed in Batavia, Illinois, today as part of a series sponsored by the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition. The large works of public art stretch along the 179-mile Illinois byway corridor, in over two dozen communities. The latest mural is on the Batavia Floral building at 109 South Batavia Avenue. Artist Jay Allen, owner of ShawCraft Sign Company, created the interpretive mural series.
The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition’s multi-site mural project showcases the history of the early highway, bringing the intriguing stories into people’s lives so they can recognize its impact on American travel and the communities. Visit drivelincolnhighway.com for more information on the Illinois Lincoln Highway, places to see and things to do, stories of the highway’s significance and history, or to download an Illinois Lincoln Highway Visitor Guide.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The next in the series of Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition Interpretive Murals was installed today in New Lenox, Illinois.
This collection of large scale works of public art can be found along the 179-mile Illinois byway corridor, in over two dozen communities. The latest mural is at 125 West Maple Street. It brings to life the story of the streetcar’s competition with the automobile.
As the designated Scenic Byway management agency overseeing the Lincoln Highway National Scenic Byway, the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition (ILHC) received a National Scenic Byway Grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Office of Tourism, Attraction Development (TAP) Grant, to work with Jay Allen of ShawCraft Signs to implement the project.
For more information on the Illinois Lincoln Highway, places to see and things to do, stories of the highway’s significance and history, or to download an Illinois Lincoln Highway Visitor Guide, visit drivelincolnhighway.com.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition has installed another in its series of interpretive murals along the 179-mile Illinois byway corridor. The newest mural was installed April 27, 2012, at 348 Victory Drive, Park Forest.
This mural commemorates the proclamation of the route and the naming of the first coast-to-coast highway. The Lincoln Highway’s proclamation declared that the quest to establish a paved highway was everyone’s patriotic duty and that it would serve as a lasting memorial.
Each community receiving a mural is asked to designate representatives to work with ILHC on the project, as well as secure a building site for the mural, research the stories and images that link their community to the Lincoln Highway, and agree to provide maintenance and preservation of the mural. Shown above is the team from ShawCraft installing the mural, with finishing touches by founder/designer Jay Allen.
For more information on the Illinois Lincoln Highway, places to see and things to do, stories of the highway’s significance and history, or to download an Illinois Lincoln Highway Visitor Guide, visit drivelincolnhighway.com.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition (ILHC) was awarded as Best Cooperative Partnership for their Interpretive Mural Series at the 2012 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism on March 16, 2012 in Rosemont, Illinois. The conference celebrated the groundbreaking work of industry innovators with the “Illinois Excellence in Tourism Awards.”
As the designated Scenic Byway management agency overseeing the Lincoln Highway National Scenic Byway, the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition received a National Scenic Byway Grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Office of Tourism, Attraction Development (TAP) Grant to fund the mural project. Each mural is a hand-painted, unique work of art, approximately 10 x 20 square foot, depicting an exciting story of the early Lincoln Highway. Visit drivelincolnhighway.com for more information on the murals and gazebos, or to download an Illinois Lincoln Highway Visitor Guide.
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
A new interpretive mural was added yesterday to the impressive collection lining the Lincoln Highway in Illinois. The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition’s latest work of art was installed on the Fairway Foods building in Sauk Village, near the corner of Sauk Trail and Torrence Avenue.
Above, Jay Allen of ShawCraft Signs in front of his newest artwork.
Created and installed by ShawCraft Sign Co., it depicts a cow crossing the Kavelage Bridge that was along the Sauk Trail, an early piece of the Lincoln Highway. The artwork is the 24th of 36 murals that will line the Lincoln Highway National Scenic Byway across the state. Watch below as the ShawCraft teams installs the Sauk Village mural.
As the designated Scenic Byway management agency overseeing the Lincoln Highway National Scenic Byway, the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition (ILHC) continues to seek ways to recognize the significance of the highway and ways to make the stories come alive. After receiving a National Scenic Byway Grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Office of Tourism, Attraction Development (TAP) Grant, ILHC worked with Jay Allen of ShawCraft Signs to bring the murals to life.
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The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition proudly announces that partner vendor ShawCraft Sign Company and company president Jay Allen received the second place award in the 2012 International Sign Design Contest presented by Signs of the Times magazine for production of the ILHC Mural Series in the Best Murals/Banners category. The winning project features the Coalition’s series of large-scale murals designed and fabricated by ShawCraft’s lead designer Jay Allen; each mural is a striking, hand-painted work of public art, communicating the significance and history of the early Lincoln Highway.
For the past few years, the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition has been producing a series of Interpretive Murals and Gazebos along the Illinois Lincoln Highway National Scenic Byway and its 179-mile corridor in northern Illinois. Each mural depicts the history, heritage and events of the highway and its impact on the communities. For the gazebos, four panels tell the story of the highway’s history and culture, including one dedicated to the community and its connection to the highway.
Above, the mural at Fulton depicts the bridge that crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa.
Now a list of both murals and gazebos — along with images of each location — are online for viewing or making a check-off list for your next road trip:
LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
The Lincoln Highway National Scenic Byway in Illinois received a Scenic Byway Award for the “Interpretive Gazebos and Murals” project in the Interpretation category at the National Scenic Byways 2011 Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The large-scale works of art not only relay the significance and history of the Lincoln Highway, but serve as modern-day tourist attractions themselves. The artwork is produced by Jay Allen at his ShawCraft Sign Co. of Machesney Park, Illinois.
Accepting the award, above from left: Justin Hardee, Heritage Corridor CVB; Melissa Hendricks-Kribs, Illinois Department of Transportation; Cindi Fleischli, Illinois Office of Tourism; Bonnie Heimbach, Northern Illinois Tourism; Bob Navarro, Heritage Corridor CVB; and Sue Hronik, Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition.
The newest Illinois Lincoln Highway Interpretive Mural was installed last week at 67 Main Street in Oswego, Illinois. Only the second vertical mural, it recalls the story of the Boy Scouts of America simultaneously planting thousands of Lincoln Highway concrete directional posts across the nation in 1928.
For more information on the Illinois Lincoln Highway, places to see and things to do, exciting, historic stories and to download an Illinois Lincoln Highway Visitor Guide, please visit drivelincolnhighway.com/.
Click the map above for a full-size view of the Lincoln Highway.
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