The nonprofit Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County has launched an IndieGogo campaign to finish the restoration work on The Mill landmark along Route 66 in Lincoln, Illinois.
The group wants to raise $93,000 to build a new restroom building with septic lines, rewire and insulate the building, restore wall panels and install an HVAC system. The campaign lasts through April 25.
Over the years, the group has spent about $70,000 for a new roof, torn down unsafe parts of the building and installed new windows.
The group also created this video that explains The Mill’s history and future projects:
https://youtu.be/JSCZvYV-Maw
From April through October, The Mill is hosting vendor markets from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the second Saturday of each month. There, you can buy limited-edition Mill T-shirts and Bob Waldmire prints.
The Mill, which featured a Dutch-inspired design and a turning windmill, opened on U.S. 66 in 1929. The Dutch-style restaurant fell into decline during the 1980s and closed in 1996.
It appeared in 2006 the ramshackle restaurant would be razed, but Geoff Ladd and other area preservationists intervened and formed a resurrection plan for the landmark. The Mill is on the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame, and members of the Illinois Route 66 Association has done several big renovation projects for it.
(Image of The Mill by Brian Marsh via Flickr)