Leaderboard

Dave knows this one....located in Durkee, I believe, OR along RT 30 and the Oregon Trail.

Restored Shell Station in Mt. Olive IL on Rt 66....but I don't remember which alignment....one of the older alignments for certain. Someting tells me this ramp has been here a while! Old Motel/Restaurant sign that has been repurposed.....at least once! Located on one of the later alignments north of Litchfield, IL. And look what else we found...... I've been by this place for yEARS and never saw this. I have no idea when it was put there or for what reason, but it is just off I55 along 66 and hidden by the trees. Not a building, but an old brick road from an early RT 66 alignment south of Chatham, IL. And here is a very interesting tidbit....not about the highway, but rather something to see in Springfield, Il. Fleetwood Lindley rests here. Just who was Fleetwood Lindley? Fleetwood Lindley was born on April 4, 1887 and died on February 1, 1963. He was a florist by trade and led a mostly unremarkable life. He was also President of the Board of Directors for Oak Ridge Cemetary where both he and President Lincoln are buried. But, they have more in common than just being buried within a few hundred yards of each other…..Fleetwood Lindley, was the last man alive to have seen the face of Abraham Lincoln. A little explanation is in order methinks! Fleetwood’s Father, Joseph Perry Lindley, was a member of the Lincoln Guard of Honor. This group was formed following the attempted theft of Lincoln’s body from the original tomb in November of 1876. During the reconstruction of the tomb in 1900-1901, it was planned to bury Lincoln’s casket in a steel cage 10 feet underground and cover it with concrete to prevent any more attemps at stealing the body. The casket would be sealed away for eternity. On the morning of September 26, 1901, Fleetwood’s teacher gave him a note from his father stating he should get on his bicycle and ride out to the tomb as fast as he could to witness an historic event….and that he did. The Guard had decided to open the casket one last time to ensure that the body inside was indeed Lincoln. Fleetwood made it to the tomb in time to see the casket opened. I’ll let his works speak for him: “Yes, his face was chalky white. His clothes were mildewed. And I was allowed to hold one of the leather straps as we lowered the casket for the concrete to be poured. I was not scared at the time but I slept with Lincoln for the next six months.” “His face was chalky white….” As spooky as that sounds, it was apparently caused by attempts to lighten his face during the trip from Washington to Sprinfield. There was no doubt who it was however. It was the unmistakable face of Abraham Lincoln. Strangly, Fleetwood Lindley retold this story to Life magazine on January 29, 1963, but he would never see the article published. Fleetwood Lindley passed away on February 1, 1963…a mere three days after the interview. We visited both Abraham Lincoln and Fleewood Lindley during our time in Oak Ridge Cemetary. This was copied from my blog entry about the Lincoln Tomb and Fleetwood Lindley.