Pictures - Our Lady of the Highways Shrine

Though Route 66 has disappeared and Interstate 55 has moved into town, the Shrine of Our Lady of the Highways hasn't changed much since its dedication in 1959. Still, pictures from the early days of the Shrine speak to the longevity of this landmark, and the following contemporary news accounts help tell its tale.

Please enjoy the images and artifacts, both modern and classic, found below. If you have any media related to the Shrine we would love if you could share it with us; please reach us via the contact page.

Wallpaper
Download these high resolution images and dress your computer's desktop with the Shrine of Our Lady of the Highways. For the image you want, click on the correct image size, then right-click on the image and select "Set as Desktop." Any image will work, but the one that matches your screen resolution will look the best; to find your correct screen resolution, right-click on your desktop, select "Properties" and then the tab "Settings." Your resolution will be on the bottom left of that screen.

	Square Screen		Widescreen
Wallpaper 1		800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024		1280 x 768 1280 x 800
Wallpaper 2		800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024		1280 x 768 1280 x 800
Wallpaper 3		800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024		1280 x 768 1280 x 800

Images - Modern
The Shrine as it looks today. The followng pictures were taken in 2006. Click any thumbnail to open a larger image. Photos can be viewed as a slideshow from any picture by pressing your left and right keys.

The Shrine after an ice storm on Saturday, January 13, 2007. A previous ice storm in late November/early December of 2006 took out one of the pine trees behind the Shrine.

Images - Classic
Pictures from the first days of the Shrine, including the groundbreaking and several pilgrimages over the following years. Click a thumbnail to open in a popup window; please ensure your browser's popup settings allow this. Photos can be viewed as a slideshow from any picture.


Groundbreaking of the Shrine on Feb.11, 1959	The Shrine at the time of its dedication	Another early, undated picture of the Shrine	Pilgrimage, May 1960

Pilgrimage, 1961	Pilgrimage, 1963	Pilgrimage, 1963	Pilgrimage, 1966

Artifacts
Artifacts from the early days of the Shrine. Click a thumbnail to open in a popup window; please ensure your browser's popup settings allow this.

	Invitation to the Shrine's dedication issued by the Litchfield Deanery CYC. "US 48" was really Illinois 48.		Reception card included in the dedication invitation envelopes. Fr. Heintz of Alton had been at St. Mary's in Taylorville when the Shrine project was started.
	Remembrance card featuring Mary. Issued by the Litchfield Deanery at the dedication of the Shrine on Sunday, October 25, 1959.		Card of Mary issued by the Litchfield Deanery one year prior to the Shrine's dedication on the 100th Anniversary of her appearance at Lourdes, France.
	Thank you card from the Litchfield Deanery CYC addressed to Francis and Ruth Marten after the dedication. Their last name is mispelled on the card, as it often is.

Newspaper Articles
Three articles from the early days of the Shrine, as well as a clipping about Francis Marten's induction into the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame. Click a thumbnail to open in a popup window; please ensure your browser's popup settings allow this.

	Newspaper article describing the upcoming dedication of the Shrine on Sunday, October 25, 1959		Second article describing the upcoming dedication, complete with photo. Again, Francis Marten's name is mispelled.		Undated article detailing a CYC pilgrimage to the Shrine followed by a dance in Litchfield.
Newspaper article from 1991 detailing Francis Marten's induction into the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame. Pictured with him are Russell Soulsby of Soulsby's Shell Station in Mount Olive and Tom Teague, founder and then-President of the Route 66 Association of Illinois. Again, Marten is mispelled.