TranslateDay 2: Springfield, IL to Springfield, MO
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Muffler Man at Lauterbach Tires and Auto Service in Springfield, Illinois
Muffler Man at Lauterbach Tires and Auto Service in Springfield, Illinois
The Sugar Creek Covered Bridge south of Springfield, Illinois.
A restored 1.4 mile long section of the original Route 66. The hand-laid brick road is a segment of Route 66 done in 1931 and placed over a concrete roadbed. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Original Historic Route 66 Brick Road
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this beautiful 1.4 mile long piece of restored hand-laid brick road near Auburn, IL, is a segment of 66 done in 1931 and placed over a concrete roadbed.
Entrance to the Sky View Drive-In in Lichfield, Illinois
The Sky View is the last original Route 66 drive-in theater in Illinois. Enjoying movies under the stars was a novel experience in 1950, when this theater opened - a time when most people didn't own a black-and-white TV. Drive-ins were polular gthering places for families, friends and couples.
Soulsby’s Route 66 Shell Service Station is the oldest, most original station (along the route in Illinois) that has not been completely rebuilt. In 1926 Henry Soulsby opened his gas station on what was the far western edge of Mt. Olive. He intended to capitalize on the opening of the nation’s first transnational highway U.S. Route 66. However, the road took a different route than Soulsby anticipated. But four years later, Route 66 was relocated and zipped right in front of his station. Henry Soulsby’s children, Olga and Russell, took over the operation, which included a TV repair business: They operated the station until their deaths, and the station closed around 1990. The shuttered pit stop was sold at auction in 1997 along with many Shell mementos. A handful of volunteers turned the roadside distraction into a roadside attraction re-creating the Soulsby’s of the l950’s with sunshine yellow pumps and matching yellow and red stripes along the base of the small landmark. The inside of the station will be restored later, when funds are available. The station is one block east and one block south of Mt. Olive schools. Soulsby Service Station is also in the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame.
