Town will receive historical certification

The active Route 66 town of Atlanta, Ill., will receive another feather in its cap — the National Park Service is set to certify it for its historic preservation, reports the Lincoln Courier.

It would be the 61st city in Illinois to receive this certification, which opens it up for preservation grants and other aid. The Atlanta Historic Preservation Commission recently was certified as an arm of the city.

The Atlanta commission has designated two landmarks. The first was Hawes Elevator, an original wooden grain elevator. The second is the Killian residence at 307 S. Martin St., one of Atlanta’s oldest homes, built in the late 1840s.

“We’re getting ready for our third landmark site,” Martin said. “We have a short stretch of original Route 4 on the west side of Atlanta. It has original concrete and markers and a culvert. It’s part of what eventually became Route 66.”

The commission is also beginning to look at most of the downtown area, which they hope to designate as a historic district.

“That’s another tool that we can use to help preserve the history of Atlanta,” Thomas said. “We can leverage the Route 66 heritage we have.”

I’m certain the Atlanta commission will soon certify other landmarks, including its library and the recently restored Palms Grill.

UPDATE: WEEK-TV in Peoria recently produced a video segment about Atlanta.

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