Six on 66 Monument

As the Route 66 centennial approaches in 2026, many communities across the route are embracing the spirit of the Mother Road by restoring the old attractions and creating new ones. In Illinois, they’re going big with a new collection of giant interactive Route 66 shield monuments that make the perfect backdrop for social media posts. This Six on 66 Monument in Hamel, Illinois is just one of the selfie spots you’ll find.

Originally, six communities along the last 100 Miles of Route 66 in southwest Illinois received Six on 66 Monuments in 2022: Granite City, Collinsville, Hamel, Litchfield, Carlinville, and Edwardsville.

Each of the Six on 66 Monuments is a similar 12-foot-tall giant metal black and white Route 66 shield parked on a slight angle. The cut-out shape and hollowed out sixes allow visitors to lean on or sit inside the monument for poses perfect for Instagram images.

The original six monuments were placed as part of a $919,000 state grant designed to revitalize the Last 100 Miles of Route 66 in southwest Illinois, which was awarded to the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau. The grant was also used to create 12 postcard-style murals across Route 66, turn the West End Service Station in Edwardsville into a museum and welcome center, and update the historic Cannonball Jail.

While originally the Six on 66 program placed six of these giant 12-foot tall Route 66 shield photo ops, an additional $493,000 Route 66 Grant later allowed two more of these monuments to be placed in Gillespie and Girard.

Find this giant Route 66 Shield in Hamel, Illinois, right on the original route. It’s located across the parking lot from Route 66 Creamery (and the Route 66 Postcard Mural) and across the street from Weezy’s Grill (a restaurant that originally opened as Hamel ‘Tourist’ Haven in 1937).