H. I. Lincoln Store – Illinois Lincoln Highway Association

No non-profit can survive without revenue to pay for expenses. Along with historical Lincoln Highway artifacts such as original bricks and signs, a portion of the Lincoln Highway Interpretive Center has store items to provide revenue for the Lincoln Highway Association, Farming Heritage, Inc., local artists and crafters, and baked goods made by the Manager Patty Ballard are available. Lincoln Highway Association official merchandise includes hats, clothing, and other items with the Lincoln Highway red, white, and blue logo produced by the Lincoln Highway Trading Post of Canton, Ohio. Travel guides and historical books written by Lincoln Highway Association members are also available. Much of the original interior of the dry goods store survived, including the wooden grain bins which are no longer commonly found, and they do have a fresh coat of paint.

white painted wooden grain bins — *Wooden grain bins dating to H. I. Lincoln’s dry goods store with a fresh coat of white paint*

wooden display case in glass in front of grain bins — *Here is a different angle showing the grain bins behind a more modern glass display case*

tea and glass bakery case — *When the store is open, Patty Ballard fills this case with freshly baked goods, such as peach cobbler and cookies with real maple syrup made locally*

Wooden shelving painted white with Lincoln Highway historical artifacts and merchandise — *Wooden shelving with Lincoln Highway historical artifacts and merchandise*

historical photos and merchandise — Historical photos of the local Franklin Grove area and Lincoln Highway line the ceiling with Lincoln Highway merchandise. On the shelves below, there are original bricks from the Lincoln Highway with descriptions of their source locations.

photograph of a Lincoln Highway bridge — *Bridge on Lincoln Highway, Franklin Grove (bridge no longer at that location on the west side)*

*Lincoln Highway books* and a black and white picture of the Hughes Hotel in the town of Chapin, which became Franklin Grove later as the settlement expanded northward with the construction of the railroad. Josiah Hughes had it built out of stone in 1855. It had three stories and 30 rooms. (Information from a map of Franklin Grove produced by Farming Heritage.)

Lincoln Highway merchandise in cabinets and drawers — *A dry goods store would not be complete without shelves and drawers to store merchandise. Today, instead of beans, flour, and sugar, local craft items and Lincoln Highway merchandise are available.*

Lincoln Highway shirts for sale on a clothes rack — *Lincoln Highway-themed shirts and sweatshirts*

Lincoln Highway merchandise, a hat, bandana, sunglasses, and water bottles for pets — *Lincoln Highway hat, sunglasses, and water bottles for pets*

maple syrup in clear, glass bottles — *Locally produced maple syrup from the Franklin Grove Maple Syrup Company*

Gray T-shirt with H. I. Lincoln Building — *H. I. Lincoln Building T-shirt*

glass, lighted display case — *Lighted glass display case with hand-made jewelry*

peach cobbler in a glass case — *Patty Ballard’s delicious peach cobbler and cookies made with local maple syrup*

Back to Table of Contents