The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition (ILHC) has developed a series of 16 gazebos & 40 interpretive murals that highlight the development of the historic Lincoln Highway and how it affected the many communities across northern Illinois.  The Creston mural depicts the Lincoln Highway drinking fountains.  Illinois is the only state to have Lincoln Hwy drinking fountains.  They were donated by Carl Parker in memory of his mother, Amanda Sutherland Parker, who had grown up in the Garden Plain area of Whiteside County.  Originally, the fountains were to be placed every 10 miles across Illinois.  This wasn’t practical due to water supply, so the fountains were donated to the towns and cities.  Seventeen fountains were donated and the 1919 Progress Report states that nine of them were then being placed.  The fountains were donated free of charge, but the recipients had to meet certain criteria: 1) the name of the street that the Lincoln Highway traversed through town had to be changed to “Lincoln Way”; 2) that the entire route through town had to be marked with the painted LH signs; 3) and that the town had to agree to assume the expense of installing and maintaining the fountains.  The design of the fountain made it very useful in that it was a pedestal type with a drinking bubbler on the top and a spigot on the side for drawing off water in a pail.  Along the inside edge of the bowl were the words “in memoriam” so that “all who stooped to drink would see it”.  The Interpretive gazebo is located across the street from the mural.

This project is funded by grant dollars from the Federal Highway Administration with support from Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois Bureau of Tourism.  For a Lincoln Highway Coalition Visitor Guide call or go to website.