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 The Mill in Lincoln opened in 1929 on old Route 66 under the name
of the Blue Mill, on Stringer Avenue. The proprietor was Paul
Coddington, who would serve patrons grilled sandwiches at any hour
of the day or night. A Dutch themed building with blue trim, it
featured at revolving windmill and waitresses dressed in blue with
white aprons. In 1945, Albert and Blossom Huffman purchased the
building, added a barroom and dance hall, and then painted the
building barn red. Over the years, the restaurant became famous for
the fried schnitzel, originally made of veal, and later of pork. By
the mid 1980’s the Mill had lost most of the Dutch themed interior,
and was becoming a museum of rather strange objects, including a
mechanical leg protruding from a hole in the ceiling. The Mill
closed as a restaurant in 1996.
Efforts began to restore the building in 2006, and have included a
who’s who of volunteers from all over Lincoln and Logan County as
well as the state, through the Route 66 Association of Illinois and
the Route 66 Preservation Committee headed by John Weiss. The Mill
has received local donations from Lincoln Philanthropist Larry Van
Bibber, The Danner Trust Fund, Eaton Corporation, Lincoln Rotary,
Railsplitter Antique Auto Club, several anonymous donations and many
other contributions. Grants and additional assistance and support
have been received by The National Park Service, Abraham Lincoln
Tourism Bureau of Logan County, Route 66 Association of Illinois,
Land of Lincoln Regional Tourism Development Office and the Illinois
Route 66 Scenic Byway. The facility also is on the restoration list
at Landmarks Illinois and was inducted into the Route 66 Association
of Illinois Hall of Fame. It is a 501-C3 tax deductible
organization.
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“Thanks to a very special anonymous donation, we will also
have on sale Made in the USA t-shirts with our brand new Mill on
66 logo on them,” said Geoff Ladd. Other collectible items will
also be on sale to raise funds for the eventual Route 66 museum.
“We have had great donations and grants from several
organizations and individuals – thanks to all of them,” said
Ladd. For more info email to info@savethemill.org or call
217-671-3790.
The Mill 8th Annual Cruise-In co-sponsored by Railsplitter
Antique Auto Club was held Saturday September 13th. The event
included a car cruise-in with great classic cars, live music,
food, as well as door prizes and 50/50 drawings. The City of
Lincoln brought over The Tropics sign for photo opportunities!
[Geoff Ladd, The Mill on 66]
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