Farmers' Elevator & Supply Co.

Farmers' Elevator & Supply Co., a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A couple of grain elevators in Morrison, Illinois, a town near the Iowa border and right along the Lincoln Highway.

Hotpoint

Hotpoint Appliances, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I don't often show window signs for Neon Friday, but this vintage Hotpoint sign is so charming I had to share it. It's a pretty well kept original, and is in the side window of an old school appliance store, just off the Lincoln Highway in Morrison, Illinois.

The Collinis At Home!

Lincoln Highway, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Please drop in for cocktails! You'll find us someplace along the Lincoln Highway!

One of the original 1929 concrete markers that were strategically placed along the Lincoln Highway. This is one of four that stand along a one-mile stretch of the old road in Illinois.

The quote is from the old Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz film The Long, Long Trailer. The picture was iPhoned to look old and nostalgic.

The Country School

The Country School, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Former neon sign in Rochelle, Illinois. Judging from the condition it lost it's glass a long time ago-I can't tell if it was just a neon version of this sign or if the design was different. Still, a classic.

Chicken's pretty good too.

The DeKalb

The DeKalb, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Closed for movies but open for other stuff, the DeKalb Theater still has this awesome, if inoperative, sign out front. I don't know how long it's been out of the movie business, but there's a beauty school there now.

Colonnade Motel

Colonnade Motel, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I've passed this sign dozens of times on my way west along the Lincoln Highway, and have only recently stopped to shoot it. The sky was perfect, the lighting just right, and the parking lot wasn't so full that people would stare.

I note that this sign looks like it was painted over at some point, which makes me wonder if it used to say something other than "Colonnade". The plastic sign on the side of the building, which clearly used to be in an illuminated fixture, makes me think this even more.

The Hub

The Hub, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

We've visited Rochelle's Hub Theater once before. Sadly, this vintage movie house has closed permanently, having had a brief reprieve last year. The building is, as of this writing, still for sale. Hopefully someone will buy it, and save this classic.

Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Through the Viewfinder Tuesday!

The Lincoln Highway was the first named automobile road to completely traverse the United States, from coast to coast. Originally opened in 1913, the Lincoln's original stated length was 3,389 miles. It has been realigned several times, and over the years it has moved through 14 states, 128 counties, and over 700 cities, towns and villages.

Plenty of signs of the road exist all along it's length. Plenty of streets called "Lincolnway", signs old and new, and historical markers. This billboard is in the town of Franklin Grove, Illinois, which is the home of the Lincoln Highway Association as well.

Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway Marker, originally uploaded by William 74.

Revisiting the town of Franklin Grove, along the Lincoln Highway in Illinois. Frequently, back in the day, municipalities would paint the distinctive LH logo onto telephone poles through their towns, and back out into the countryside.

Today, many towns along the route hang banners from light poles to mark the historic road, but here in Franklin Grove, they still paint the logos right on the poles. There are several of them through town. This one's by a local elementary school.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Lothson's Karry Out-DeKalb, IL, originally uploaded by William 74.

It's the end of the week, and that means another Neon Friday, folks! This week we're in DeKalb, Illinois. Best known as the home of Northern Illinois University, DeKalb was also a fairly major stop along the Illinois stretch of the Lincoln Highway, and still features a few old businesses along the main drag.

One of them is Lothson's Karry Out, which specializes in fried chicken. They've been in business since 1949, and are rightfully called a Lincoln Highway classic. They also feature this cool vintage sign over the door. Chaser bulbs aside, it even works (although I still haven't managed to get a decent photograph of it at night. Must work on that).

The food's pretty good, too!

Red Crown

Red Crown, originally uploaded by William 74.

Another day, another old gas station. This is the beautifully restored Standard station in Rochelle, IL. A Lincoln Highway landmark.

Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway, originally uploaded by William 74.

We've visited the Lincoln Highway before-in fact we've shown you this exact same road marker-but I think it bears revisiting. The Lincoln was a major east-west route for many years, winding through cities and towns, and spearing through the farmlands of the Midwest. It was important, and should be remembered.

I also just think this is a cool, old timey picture.

Electric Heat & Air Conditioning

Shadylawn Motel, originally uploaded by William 74.

Sometimes you find stuff when you're not really looking. Such is the case with the Shadylawn Motel's excellent neon sign. It's along U.S. 30, just outside of bucolic Hinckley, Illinois. U.S. 30 was a main east-west route of the U.S. system of numbered highways, and was commissioned in the late 20's.

The road goes through quite a few large cities, but through a good stretch of Illinois it shoots across the prairie, through Rockwellian towns like Shabbona, Waterman, and Hinckley. It's hardly the sort of place you'd find such a Googie-tastic slice of Atomic Number 10, but there it is. The motel seems to still be in business-I think I should go back out there after dark and see if they still turn this beauty on.