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Bob Waldmire traveled Route 66 in his renovated 1966 school bus. Tours of the bus are available through the Route 66 museum. You can view the exterior of the bus, which is parked behind the museum building, for free.
[Sue Freeman, 05/26/2022]Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum:RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report
- Address:
- 110 W. Howard St., Pontiac, IL
- Directions:
- I-55 exit 197. Follow Hwy 116 about two miles east into town. Turn right onto Howard St. The museum is about one mile east, on the corner of Howard and Main Sts, on the south side, in an old firehouse. There may be a giant Route 66 sign painted on the south side of the building.
- Hours:
- Summer M-F 9 am - 5 pm, Sa-Su 10 am - 4 pm, fewer hours off-season. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 815-844-4566
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
This was a State Police Headquarters, built in 1941, that closed in 2003. It has a historical marker and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the marker, the architect allegedly designed the building in the shape of a Derringer pistol as seen when viewed from above, and it showcases the Art Moderne style of architecture popular in the 1930s, with long linear lines, curved corners, and structural glass.
[Sue Freeman, 05/26/2022]Pistol-Shaped Building:- Address:
- 15551 Historic Hwy 66, Pontiac, IL
- Directions:
- On the west side of Old Route 66 about 1.5 miles south of Pontiac.
- Pontiac, Illinois - Walldog Museum
Small museum dedicated to the "walldogs" who paint large outdoor advertising signs, murals, and billboards.
Roadsideamerica.com Report...
- Directions:
- Downtown. On the west side of Mill St., midway between W. Madison and W. Washington Sts, across from the old courthouse.
- Hours:
- Closed in 2018.
- Status:
- Closed
The Motor Police...are waiting out in front of the pistol-shaped building.
[Craig Grondfeldt, 08/04/2020]At the Pontiac Historical Exhibit housed inside the courthouse, they have one of Abe Lincoln's beard hairs, preserved under a magnifier. They have other weird stuff like the teeth of dead prison inmates and a stuffed coyote named Tina.
[Ben Perdue, 06/17/2016]Abe Lincoln Hair Strands:- Address:
- 115 W. Howard St., Pontiac, IL
- Hours:
- M-F 9-4 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 815-844-5847
- Admission:
- Free.
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On our tour through the Waldmire Road Yacht we were impressed by his hand-built toilet and were allowed to thumb through his vinyl records. He liked Jethro Tull.