Left: Effingham County Board Chairman Jim Niemann. Right: Phil Lewis National Road Assoc. of IL President
Effingham County Board Chair Jim Niemann dedicated a new kiosk that features information on the National Road, originally constructed in 1800s, that passes through Effingham County. Effingham Radio news spoke to Phil Lewis, President of the National Road Association of Illinois on how the project came to fruition.
The National Road was the first Federal Highway project and ran from Cumberland, MD to Vandalia, IL where it was eventually extended to St. Louis. Thousand of people used the road a way to head out west and President Abraham Lincoln would have used the road when he was practicing law.
County board President Jim Niemenn decdicated the kiosk to those who built and traveled on the road. He told Effingham Radio News that he hoped the kiosk would help to educate people on the history of the country.
The new kiosk is located on the southeast corner of the old Courthouse Square in downtown Effingham.
Stay tuned for a video of the dedication!