This is Throwback Thursday #127.  In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general.  If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Thanks!

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Route 66, or the “Mother Road” as it was sometimes called, was in operation from November 26th, 1926 until June 26th, 1985.   It connected Chicago, IL to Santa Monica, CA through the states of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.  It passed just west of Wilmington, IL and through the middle of Braidwood, IL along what is now IL 129.  On the corner of Route 66 and Coal City Road, there once stood a sign in the form of a piano on the top of the hill to the northwest of the intersection.   This hill was a spoil pile from what was Pit 3 of the Northern Illinois Coal Corporation, which later became Peabody Coal Company.  The sign was built in the shape of a grand piano.  For many years, the sign stood on the hill, which was referred to as Piano Hill by locals and the Mazon Creek fossil collectors that passed it by.

The sign advertised a local orchestra called Faletti’s Orchestra, which was located in Coal City, IL. and was named for its founder Barney Faletti.  This photograph from the early 1930’s shows Barney on the far left.

The orchestra was based in a music shop on Broadway Street in Coal City, IL.  This photo shows the building in the 1920’s along with the orchestra’s tour bus.

The building is still there today along with Barney’s house, which is next door with the green roof.

He later sold his business to Rogers Cumming.   The shop became the Cumming Music Center, which has caused some confusion as to which business the sign originally referred to.

Interesting story about Barney Faletti… it seems that he was offered a big “gig” far from Coal City.  He didn’t want to be away from home, so he recommended his friend Lawrence Welk and his band to the agent.  Welk took the job and became “TV Famous”.  Barney and Lawrence remained friends for the rest of their lives.  Here is a photo signed to Beverly Faletti from Lawrence Welk.

As for Piano Hill, in 2006, the piano was still there or at least the frame was.  This photo comes from a Route 66 website.

Earlier this year, we were curious about what was left of the piano… Hint, it’s in bad shape.  Jeremy Zimmerman and I visited it in April.  And, there isn’t much left of the it, just a portion of the outer frame.  And, that has a large tree growing up through the middle.  Note: this is on private property, so please don’t visit without permission.

If you have any photos of Piano Hill back in the day, please pass it along.  We’d love to see it as there doesn’t seem to be any photos in existence.

References

• The Carbon Hill School Museum.  We’ve mentioned this place previously.  The curator Michele Micetich did a presentation for ESCONI about the Diamond Mine Disaster back in June 2019.  She is very knowledgeable about the surrounding area.  If she doesn’t know the answer or where to find it, no one knows!  Visit this museum to learn of the rich history of the area.
• Route 66 website, especially the page about Illinois.