Lincoln Highway Guided Tour Set for May 19

Tickets are on sale now for a May 19 car tour along historic Lincoln Highway through , Oswego and Aurora.

Guides will share stories about the roadway’s construction, history and notable sites during the daylong event.

In Aurora, stops include lunch at the historic Lincoln Highway Shelter at Phillip's Park and the nationally designated "Auto Row,” site of several showrooms and service garages along the famous cross-country highway that started in New York and ended in California.

The program also includes a six-block walking tour of historic Lincoln Highway gas stations and business sites in downtown Plainfield, including a 1928 gas station listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Classic automobiles are scheduled to be on display at selected sites along the route.

The Lincoln Highway Tour departs from and returns to Wheatland Salem Church, 1217 Wolf Road, Oswego. 

The deadline to purchase $30 early bird tickets is April 25. After that date, the price will be $40. Lunch is included. For tickets, call 630-554-3883 or email historywithoutboundaries@gmail.com.

Established in 1913, Lincoln Highway was the first paved coast-to-coast highway in the United States, crossing from New York to San Francisco. The forefather of the modern interstate transportation system tells the history of modern transportation, according to a news release on the tour.

As the Lincoln Highway became increasingly more popular with the “motoring public,” many new businesses sprang up along the route. Designated as a national scenic byway in 2000; the Lincoln Highway twists and turns through many northern Illinois communities, the release said.

The bus tour is organized by History Without Boundaries, an association of not-for-profit historic organizations from Kane, Kendall and Will counties. Brochures are available at the , and the .

For more information, call Tina Beaird 630-554-3883 or email historywithoutboundaries@gmail.com

INTERESTED IN LEARING MORE?

Here are links to Lincoln Highway columns written by Plainfield Patch history columnist Michael Lambert: