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Old 66 & Main St, Lexington, IL
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East < GO > West

This marker is located on the SE corner of the intersection of Main Street and Old Route 66. The marker faces Old 66, but therer's room to park on Morris St. behind the it.

GPS: 40.641106, -88.791930

It's a little confusing because the text refers "the original two-lane conrete highway- a section of which is located here", but the road in front of the marker is from the 1940s and the 1926 alighnment is on Grove St. a block away behind the marker.

Hrer's the full text from the marker:

"In 1926, construction began on a 2,448-mile highway from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. Route 66 reflected the increased use of motorized vehicles. The road, which cut diagonally across Illinois, passed through Lexington. Sleek restaurants, service stations and motels were built specifically to accommodate travelers. The original two-lane, concrete highway - a section of which is located here - was replaced over a span of thirty years by the more modern Interstate Highway System. In Illinois, Interstate-55 closely parallels Old Route 66.

1996 by The Illinois History Club of Lexington High School & the Illinois State Historical Society."

This cool sign sits a few feet south of the marker and pays tribute to the early gas tstions on Route 66 in Lexington.

The sign lists Anderson's Corn as having been a Cities Service Station and a Gulf Oil Station over the years. Other brands listed are Standard, Texaco, Mobil and Skelly.

Photo(s): 2015, 2017

Photo(s): 2017