Getting our kicks on Route 66 in Atlanta, IL

Jennifer Barnabee

Jennifer Barnabee

— 6 min read
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Getting our kicks on Route 66 in Atlanta, IL

My family back in Atlanta, Ga., would be surprised to hear that I spent the last two days in Atlanta. But it’s not that Atlanta. It’s Atlanta, IL, another town that is along the old iconic Route 66. We stayed at a Harvest Host there, the Atlanta Public Library & Museum. While many Harvest Hosts are farms and wineries, some are simply points of interest that allow you to park in their parking lots. It’s a great way to draw travelers like us into small towns, where we’ll patronize the local restaurants and shops. This is where we were staying when we toured the McLean house I mentioned in our last post.

Chisoku parked next to the library

The library is unique because it is in an octagonal limestone building that was built in 1908. It is still operational, and we saw several people visit it while we were there.

Inside the library

The library is part of a multi-site museum system throughout the town of Atlanta. Other museum sites include the main history museum where the union hall, old bank, the Palms Grill Café, and grocery were once located. Another major site is the J.H. Hawes Grain Elevator museum near the train tracks. It is an original wooden grain elevator that was used by local farmers to store and ship their grain via the railroad. In addition, there is an old coal mine that you can look down into (more on that below), as well as the “American Giants” museum, which has several huge fiberglass figures (see more in the pictures below). These figures also appear in other places around the town.

The town really shows off its history from the pre- and post-Civil War era (including visits by Abraham Lincoln), its growth as a major railroad stop, and its life during the heyday of Route 66. The people of the town are to be commended, especially Amy, who was the Harvest Host who met us on arrival. Her family has been based in the town since the 1860s, and they owned the bank that is part of the museum. Based on talking to her and the docent at the museum, it’s clear that Amy keeps things running and wears a million hats. Small towns like this need people like her to keep them alive and vibrant!

The Clock Tower next to the library used to be part of the old high school. The alumni raised money to have it moved here when the school was torn down. It is hand-cranked, and people from the town take turns cranking it to keep it going.
The clock tower, library, RR sign, and Chisoku

Atlanta was founded in 1853. According to the Internet, Abraham Lincoln stopped there frequently as a young prairie lawyer while he was traveling the 8th Judicial Circuit. The community in Atlanta also established a so-called “Wide Awake Group,” which was known for supporting Lincoln’s run for president. This strong connection with Lincoln was evident throughout the town.

We really enjoyed our stay in Atlanta. The parking spot was right next to a lovely field of green grass, where the dogs could run and play in the evening. However, it was also super close to the railroad tracks, where trains would go by at 80+ miles per hour! Amazingly, the trains did not bother us in the Airstream, and we slept really well. Here is a video of a train going by. Don’t blink, as it goes by fast! And turn on the sound so you can hear what it was like. The library is also across the street from the Sip Shack, where I could walk Lizzie to pick up lattes and get pup cups for the dogs.

Enjoy these other pictures from our stay…

The old grocery store was on the corner. This mural was painted in 2002 to memorialize it.

These buildings included the Union Hall (used by both the Freemasons and Oddfellows!), the bank, and the grocery store

Walls inside the Union Hall
This plaque about African Americans in Atlanta was in a park across from the museum. The first African-American to graduate from high school in the town did so in 1884.

The tall red building is the wooden grain elevator, now a museum

The American Giants Museum is fashioned after a classic Texaco gas station. Inside are more giant figures, like a Bob's Big Boy and such.
Craig by the giant police officer
Me in a selfie with the other giants
A coal mine exhibit. The people of the town found this old coal mine accidentally. They didn't know it was there and happened to be digging in this spot and found it! For reference, the shaft goes down the same length as the water tower that stands behind the building.
Here is an exhibit showing how far down the mine goes.
A cute shop (but closed while we were there)
The Palms Grill Cafe was a major gathering place and adjacent to the Greyhound bus stop back in the day. It opened in 1934 and closed in the late 1960s.
Looked like a cool place, but we did not go in. 😄

Other neat shops along the main drag.

Tons of Route 66 stuff for those who collect!

There was a lot inside the museum that I didn't post about here. It included a military section featuring townspeople who served, the bank's original vault, and a wedding dress exhibit. That exhibit had wedding dresses through the years, including one from 1888! People had donated the dresses and pictures from the weddings, etc. Some of the dresses included the shoes, veils, and sample bridesmaid dresses. Some were pretty funny!

For the rest of this week, we are camping at a county park on a beautiful lake north of Bloomington, IL. We plan to resume our exploring this weekend, when we will drive by some other properties in western Illinois before heading across the Mississippi into Iowa!

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