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.
Wooden grain bins dating to H. I. Lincoln’s dry goods store with a fresh coat of white paint
Here is a different angle showing the grain bins behind a more modern glass display 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 with Lincoln Highway historical artifacts 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.
Bridge on Lincoln Highway, Franklin Grove (bridge no longer at that location on the west side)
Wooden shelving with Lincoln Highway historical artifacts, including original bricks preserved from different locations along the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway booksand 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.)
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-themed shirts and sweatshirts
Lincoln Highway hat, sunglasses, and water bottles for pets
Locally produced maple syrup from the Franklin Grove Maple Syrup Company
H. I. Lincoln Building T-shirt
Lighted glass display case with hand-made jewelry
Patty Ballard’s delicious peach cobbler and cookies made with local maple syrup