The historic DeCamp Junction bar and softball field and its memorabilia on old Route 66 near Staunton, Illinois, will be put up for public auction Dec. 3 because its owners are retiring.
Ahrens & Niemeier will begin the auction at 8:30 a.m. that day at the site at 8767 E. Route 4 (aka Route 66). I’ve been told the auction will be piecemeal, so get there early if you’ve got an eye on a few items of memorabilia.
The bar sits on 5 1/2 acres with a lighted ball field with a 300-foot-deep fence, a full kitchen, walk-in cooler and volleyball courts.
In terms of the collectibles, the auction also offers more than 60 neon signs, signs, traffic lights and even an original U.S. 66 sign.
DeCamp Junction sits on the original 1926-1932 alignment of Route 66 and actually dates to the road’s existence. More from the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway:
This historic roadhouse on Route 66 had tourist cabins, a dance hall, gambling, and a brothel. In 1930, gangsters arrived in a black sedan with guns drawn and robbed the bar of slot machines, alcohol, guns, and cash.
The bar is the only remaining building from a small coal-mining settlement. According to “Route 66 in Illinois,” it originally was known as Riddel Store, then Duda Tavern.
DeCamp Junction received a cost-share grant in 2013 from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to repair its roof and tin ceiling.
(Hat tip to Rich Henry; image of DeCamp Junction via the auction bill)