Route 66 by Carpenter Park
Why it's listed
A quarter-mile stretch of early concrete highway runs beside Carpenter Park, a 437-acre nature preserve, between Cabin Smoke Trail in Sherman and the Sangamon River in Springfield, Illinois. Built in 1922 under State Bond Issue 124, the 16-foot-wide road is paved with a mix of cement and gravel and has curbs, expansion joints every 30 yards, and short gravel shoulders. When Route 66 was created in 1926, it followed this paved road and its iron truss bridge over the river. Traffic used it until 1936, when a wider four-lane alignment opened a few yards east. The old road was then closed and left unmaintained, which preserved its original cross-section, curbs and pavement. It is significant for its link to Route 66 and as a typical example of 1920s highway engineering. Visitors can now hike its surviving length without vehicle traffic, in a wooded setting shielded from modern development.
Significance in brief: The segment carried U.S. Route 66 traffic from 1926 until a new four-lane alignment opened to the east in 1936, which gives it significance under transportation. It is also significant for engineering as a representative example of 1920s state-aided highway design standards. Because it has not carried traffic or been resurfaced since 1936, its original cross-section, curbs and pavement remain largely intact.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02000461, listed May 9, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Old Route 66 bet. Cabin Smoke Trail and N bank of the Sangamon R., Springfield |
|---|---|
| County | Sangamon County |
| Listed | May 9, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000461 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | A: 1926-1936; C: 1922-1936 |
| Architectural style | Other: Concrete Road |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed to traffic since 1936 and abandoned by the state; the pavement is original and cracked in places. Only a water district maintenance truck has occasional access, and hikers can walk it. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 39.87265, -89.61436 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02000461.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.