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This full color mural commemorates the proclamation of the route and the naming of the first coast-to-coast highway, the Lincoln Highway. To bring the dream of a paved roadway to life, public support was needed. As a way to rally Americans from all walks of life, for improved roads, it was decided the highway would be dedicated to the martyred President Abraham Lincoln. The proclamation declared that the quest to establish a paved highway was everyones patriotic duty and that it would serve as a lasting memorial. Designed with a dramatic portrait of Lincoln and strikingly detailed parchment scrolls, the mural evokes a strong sense of patriotic pride.

A total of 35 interpretive murals will be along the 179-mile Illinois byway corridor, in over two dozen communities. Upon completion, the series will be one of the largest works of public art in the country.

As the designated Scenic Byway management agency overseeing the Lincoln Highway National Scenic Byway, the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition continually seeks ways to recognize the significance of the highway and make the historic stories come to life for visitors. After receiving a National Scenic Byway Grant from the Federal Highway Administration and an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Office of Tourism, Attraction Development Grant, ILHC has worked with the artist, Jay Allen owner of ShawCraft Sign Company, to create the interpretive mural series. The murals are valued at $10,000 each. Every mural is a hand painted, unique work of art.

For more information about the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition, please contact Sue Hronik, Program Director, Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition, 815-547-3854, [email protected]

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