The only place in America where anyone who wants can shovel coal aboard an antique train.

A spectacular remnant of an Adler and Sullivan masterpiece that was destroyed in 1972.

Built in 1869, this now-retired structure looks more like a medieval fortress than a county lock-up.

An exhibit of items from the mental institution where Mary Todd Lincoln lived after her son conspired to have her committed.

A mythical bird etched into the face of a rock doubles as the mascot for a nearby school.

This family driveway also serves as the highest point in Illinois.

An abandoned observatory in the middle of the Illinois prairie.

The carved remains of a 200-year-old oak tree memorialize the namesake of the iconic "Wizard of Oz" character.

The murals have transformed a residential alley into a vibrant drive-through gallery.

A Chicago Movie Palace Lost to Time.

This monolithic statue was erected in honor of Chief Black Hawk (even if it wasn't made to look like him).

This rare female version of the Muffler Man has its clothes removed each summer to signal the start of pool season.

A towering Art Deco movie palace made to look like a Mayan temple.

A collection of 11 million buttons illustrates the human toll of the Holocaust.

The clothes-washing king doubles as a community center with some unusual features, including an aviary filled with finches.

The dream home of an iconoclastic renaissance man still stands as a monument to his domestically mundane vision.

This Mediterranean castle was built for a millionaire and his giant dog.

This folk art wall claims to be the world's one and only memorial to the bygone age of hippies.

Fresh wooden posts have been added to ancient holes to recreate a primitive henge clock.

This softly rounded mansion was built without corners not to avoid evil spirits, but to make them more comfortable.

This deceivingly ordinary warehouse hides an enormous collection of pop culture treasures.

Today this bizarre rooftop phone booth seems like a piece of kitsch but it was once used to spot disastrous storms.

This lagomorph-obsessed Route 66 emporium is home to a giant jackrabbit that sits in a bunny graveyard.

This tiny historic jail along Route 66 is the perfect fit for exactly one criminal and their partner-in-crime.