Berwyn Route 66 Museum facts for kids

The Berwyn Route 66 Museum was a special place in Berwyn, Illinois. It was a small museum that told the story of the famous old road, U.S. Route 66. This museum is now closed.

What Was Route 66?

A car show on Route 66 in 2006, showing classic cars.

Route 66 is one of America's most famous roads. It used to stretch across the country. A part of this historic road went right through Berwyn, Illinois. This section was called Ogden Avenue. Long ago, this area was known as "Automobile Row." Many car dealerships and repair shops were there.

Today, the old path of Route 66 in Illinois is a special road called the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway. This means Ogden Avenue is still part of the historic Route 66 story.

The Museum's Purpose

The Berwyn Route 66 Museum opened in January 2011. It shared a building with the Berwyn Arts Council. The museum's main goal was to find, show, and save the history of Route 66. It especially focused on the part of the road that went through Berwyn.

The museum displayed many interesting items. These included old photos, signs, and other things from Route 66. It was run completely by volunteers. These helpers made sure visitors could learn all about the road's past.

How the Museum Started

The idea for the museum began in 1994. A man named Larry Ohler started collecting items about Route 66. He put them in two display cases at a restaurant. Later, these displays moved to a car dealership.

Eventually, Jon Fey, who was the museum's director, offered a space for the collection. This allowed the items to have their own home. That's how the Berwyn Route 66 Museum got its start.

Fun Events and Projects

The museum was well-known for helping with the Historic Route 66 Car Show. This event happened every year in September. It brought together many cool classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles. People loved to see these old vehicles.

The museum also hosted other events. Sometimes, authors who wrote about Route 66 would visit. The Berwyn Arts Council also used the museum's gallery. They showed off art, like creative designs made from old car hubcaps.

Saving History: The Spindle

The museum worked on exciting projects to save local history. One big project was about a famous art sculpture called The Spindle. This unique artwork was made by Dustin Shuler. It had eight cars stacked up on a tall pole, reaching 40 feet high!

The Spindle used to stand in a shopping center in Berwyn. It was taken down in 2008. But the museum director, Jon Fey, saved the top two cars. One was a 1967 red Volkswagen Beetle, and the other was a 1976 BMW. The museum hoped to put parts of The Spindle back together.

At the 2012 Berwyn Car Show, the red VW Beetle from The Spindle was on display. Volunteers asked people to support bringing the sculpture back to life.

The Welcome Sign

Another project was to restore an old "Berwyn Route 66" welcome sign. This sign was made of glass blocks and lit up with neon lights. It used to stand on Ogden Avenue. The city removed it in 2012 because it was damaged. The museum stored the sign safely. They hoped to fix it and put it on display at the museum someday.

The Gift Shop Today

The building where the museum used to be is now a gift shop. You can still see some cool Route 66 items there. Outside, there's a restored Berwyn Route 66 entry marker. There's also a pole showing distances to other places and a large school bell. A colorful mural of the Route 66 shield is on a wall. The gift shop is open during the week.

See also

• Spindle (sculpture)
• Dustin Shuler
• U.S. Route 66
• U.S. Route 66 in Illinois
• List of Route 66 museums