Lincoln Highway Interpretive Center

The Lincoln Highway Interpretive Center resides in the H. I. Lincoln Building in Franklin Grove, Illinois. H. I. Lincoln was a cousin of Abraham Lincoln and his building first functioned as a dry goods store, built in 1860. It also served as a hospital, Post Office, a newspaper publishing building, and a storage building until plans evolved for an extensive renovation in the 1990s leading to it becoming the Headquarters of the Lincoln Highway Association.

The Lincoln Highway Interpretive Center is at:
136 N. Elm St.
P.O. Box 21
Franklin Grove, IL 61031

Phone: 815-456-3030
E-mail: hq[at]lincolnhighwayassoc.org
Please contact the Center prior to visiting in the winter season months of November through March

Table of Contents

Virtual Tour of the H. I. Lincoln Building

Recent History of the Lincoln Highway Interpretive Center

Live Music

Early History of Franklin Grove and H. I. Lincoln and His Building by Ethel Sheap

Franklin Grove, H. I. Lincoln and His Building, and the Lincoln Highway by Duane Paulsen

Who Was H. I. Lincoln? Article Excerpt by Sue Jacobson

Lincoln Building Used as a Hospital 

1996 From the LHA National Office Article Excerpt by Lynn Asp

1997 Home Office Update Article Excerpt by Lynn Asp

1997 Facade Unveiling Illinois Report Excerpt by Ruth Frantz

1999 Grand Opening of the Lincoln Highway Association Headquarters by Duane Paulsen

H. I. Lincoln Store Today


This Website is funded by Illinois Humanities.

Illinois Humanities activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement. Illinois Humanities is a nonprofit organization and the state’s affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.