Wheels O’ Time Museum, Dunlap, Illinois

The U.S. state of Illinois is a state known for many things.  It is commonly called ‘The Land of Lincoln’ as it is the state that made Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States of America, famous.  Although he was born in the U.S. state of Kentucky and spent part of his childhood in the U.S. state of Indiana, it was in Illinois, particularly in the capital city of Springfield, where his rise to fame began, and it is where he is buried.  U.S. President Ronald Reagan was also born in this state.  It is famous for its largest city, Chicago, the Hub City of the continent of North America that is famous for its professional sports teams and it food like pizza and hot dogs.  One of the nation’s famous routes, U.S. Route 66 began in Chicago, and you can drive this route today across the state and see some of its iconic sites.  The John Deere Tractor Company is based in this state, and tractors are also designed here.  Beyond the Chicago Metropolitan Area, much of this state is rural with farms, but there are also other cities like Peoria, and it is in Peoria where you will find the Wheels O’ Time Museum.

What is the Wheels O’ Time Museum?  Well, the name pretty much says what the museum is about.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  The Wheels O’ Time Museum is about wheels through time.  The problem is that this is not a railroad museum.  Therefore, I will not be bringing my wheels to this museum.”

You are right.  It is not a railroad museum, but the very first thing you will see as you arrive at this museum is Rock Island Railroad Locomotive Number 886.  What is the locomotive doing?  It is pulling a train that consists of a combine car number 2617 from the Milwaukee Road, a caboose from the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad, and two Pullman Cars.

In case you are wondering, there is more to see as far as the railroad fan is concerned.

The Wheels O’ Time Museum is a museum about wheels mainly from the twentieth century.  It is housed in five structures.  The first building is a building with a very specific name.  What is the building’s name?  It is called the Main Building.  The first thing you see in the Main Building is the gift shop.  It is a small gift shop, but it is here where you pay your admission.  Then you enter the main hall.  It is here on the first floor where you will see many classic cars.  Hence the name ‘Wheels O’ Time Museum’.  With all of these classic cars on display, this is just a small part of the museum.  Yes, it is just a small part of the museum.

As you see the classic cars, the first floor also have different display rooms.  One of them is called ‘Rivers and Rails of Peoria’.  In this room, you will see the history of the railroad and the riverboats of the region.  A model of Locomotive Number 80 from the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad is on display.

Is that all as far as the Main Building?  No.  There are more rooms on the upper level.  One of the rooms has two model train displays.  There is also a mural featuring a steam train and a race car.

The next building is ‘The Firehouse’.  It is built to look like an old firehouse.  What is the main feature of the Firehouse?  It has two fire trucks and more classic cars.  It has classic bikes, a replica of the ‘Spirit of St. Louis’, the first plane to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, and a replica of a local Peoria radio station.  It also has model trains, railroad dishes, and other railroad memorabilia encased in glass.

Then you have the ‘Generations Building’.  It is the newest building on the property, and the name comes from the World War II generation which is commonly called ‘The Greatest Generation’.  It features tractors, jeeps, and a U.S. Air Force plane from that era, but it also features two model train displays.  The display on the lower level shows a train at a construction site.  The upper level has a LEGO train display.

Then you have the Farm Building.  Yes, it features farm equipment, but it also features railroad maintenance equipment to include a hand car.

The other structures at the museum is the Ford Building which displays cars from the Ford Motor Company and the LeTourneau Steel House, a small single family home.

The Wheels O’ Time Museum is located at 1710 W. Woodside Drive in Dunlap, Illinois just off of Illinois Route 40 north of Peoria.  It is open from May to October from Wednesday to Sunday from 12:00pm to 5:00pm Central Standard Time.  Parking is on site, and most of the museum is wheelchair accessible.  You can learn more about the museum to include admission and to lean about the displays at https://wheelsotime.org/.

The state of Illinois is much more that Chicago and Abraham Lincoln and John Deere.  It is the home of the Wheels O’ Time Museum.  When you arrive, it may take you back in time.