A Piece of the Mother Road You Can Take Home

Route 66 Centennial Certified Project Logo

For nearly a decade, roughly 1,500 pieces of Route 66 sat quietly in storage, waiting for the right moment. That moment has arrived. The American Business Club of Springfield (ABC Springfield) is selling "Bricks of the Mother Road," individually numbered paving bricks pulled from an original 1926–1936 alignment of Route 66, with every dollar going toward the club's charitable work in Central Illinois.

American Business Club of Springfield - "The road moved in 1936. We kept the receipts." Original Route 66 bricks on sale to support local charities in Springfield Illinois and surrounding communities

The bricks debut in person at the Illinois Route 66 Mother Road Festival in downtown Springfield: Friday, Sept. 25, 6–10 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m.–10 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 27, 9 a.m.–noon. They aren't available online, so festival-goers get first crack.

The story behind them stretches back to August 2017, when Siciliano, Inc. was rebuilding the entrance drive at Montessori Children's House — formerly Sand Hill School — on what was once Route 66's Sandhill Road alignment. Lowering the drive for a safer entrance, the crew uncovered the original brick roadbed, still intact after roughly nine decades under later pavement and manufactured locally by the Springfield Paving Brick Co.

"Recognizing its historical significance, we made the decision to salvage as many of the paving bricks as possible," said Siciliano Inc. President Rick Lawrence, who curated the find. "These bricks carried Route 66 traffic for a decade. It means a lot to see them go toward something that helps our community."

Siciliano used part of the haul to build a 20-foot brick walkway at the school's entrance; the rest was preserved for years until ABC Springfield saw its opportunity in this year's centennial.

"This project turns a piece of infrastructure from yesterday into support today for the entire community, including kids and veterans through the Amtryke program," said Kevin Lust, who has coordinated the project for ABC Springfield. "We feel like every brick sold is a piece of Route 66 history coming back to life."

Each numbered brick comes with a two-sided Certificate of Authenticity citing the 1930 USGS topographic map, the Frank B. Dunn wire-cut lug brick patents, and the 2017 excavation record, and the project carries official Route 66 Centennial Certified status. Bricks are $66 each or two for $100, in person only, while the roughly 1,500 recovered pavers last. After the Mother Road Festival, ABC Springfield plans to bring them back for the Route 66 Centennial Conference and Awards Gala at Motorheads on November 11.

"The Centennial gives us a rare moment to tell this story, and we're proud that ABC Springfield can turn it into lasting impact," said Trent Thompson, President of the American Business Club of Springfield. "We hope collectors, Route 66 travelers, and our neighbors here in Springfield will come see these bricks for themselves at the Mother Road Festival."

Chartered in 1925, ABC Springfield is the largest chapter of AMBUCS, a national nonprofit built around "Inspiring Mobility and Independence." Locally, the club has contributed more than $5.7 million over the years, much of it through its Amtryke adaptive tricycle program, which provides therapeutic tricycles to children and veterans.

For Illinois Local members and Route 66 travelers alike, it's a rare chance to own a numbered, documented piece of the highway's Springfield history — and know the proceeds are going straight back into the community. Look for ABC Springfield's booth at the Mother Road Festival, September 25–27, to grab one while they last, and visit www.abc100.org to learn more about the project.