Work is beginning on a new mural celebrating DeKalb’s place along a great American achievement: the Lincoln Highway. 

Prep work began Tuesday at the mural site on the northwest corner of Lincoln Highway  and Seventh Street. As a cornerstone project of the America 250 DeKalb initiative, the  mural will commemorate not only America’s first transcontinental roadway, but also  President Abraham Lincoln and the Declaration of Independence, whose ideals Lincoln  invoked in the fight to end slavery. 

The mural is rooted in community input. The design by Kirsten Sandlin was selected by  the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission (CCEC), a group of resident  volunteers, following a nationwide Call for Artists. Featuring San Francisco and New York  at opposite ends of the mural, the design celebrates the extraordinary engineering  achievement of connecting the nation through the Lincoln Highway. 

Additional community input was incorporated into the final design to highlight DeKalb’s  connection to this iconic roadway. Among the elements recommended by the CCEC is  one of the historic DeKalb arches that once spanned the Lincoln Highway at the  community’s eastern and western gateways. 

Another addition is a 1913 Stevens-Duryea automobile, matching the vehicle featured in  DeKalb’s original Lincoln Highway mural. The original mural was destroyed after its  mountings failed, and the new, larger mural will replace it in the same location. 

Creation of the mural is expected to take at least two weeks. This project is partially  supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. 

Photo caption: One of the historic DeKalb arches is prominently featured in the final  design for the new Lincoln Highway mural.