Less than a week after Landmarks Illinois declared Meramec Caverns barns one of the state’s Most Endangered Historic Places, volunteers for the Illinois Route 66 Association repainted one near Cayuga.
The association hailed the restoration project:
Penny Black posted on Facebook a bunch of photos of the repainting process here.
John Weiss of the association’s preservation committee coordinated the effort, while Terri Ryburn donated equipment.
Weiss and his late wife Lenore were co-winners of the prestigious Steinbeck Award in 2002 for their preservation efforts and elected to the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame.
Appropriately enough, they led the first repainting of the Cayuga barn in 1998.
After Lester Dill purchased Meramec Caverns near Stanton, Missouri, in 1933, he offered to paint farmers’ barns for free if they allowed him to advertise on them. At one point, about 400 barns in 14 states displayed Meramec Caverns ads.
Earlier this year, Landmarks Illinois and the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway identified just five surviving Meramec Cavern barns in various conditions in the Land of Lincoln.
Landmarks Illinois urges people with more information about other surviving Meramec Caverns barns to email Casey Claypool at the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway at casey@illinoisroute66.org.
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