The Pig Hip Restaurant in Broadwell, IL is a great place to eat on Route 66. The small town (village to be exact) of Broadwell sits between Lincoln and Elkhart, with a population only in the hundreds. It was platted in 1856, by William Broadwell and Jacob Eisiminger, to be one of the towns linking Chicago with Springfield via the railroad.

Three-quarters of a mile east of Broadwell was the Tantivy Inn. The Inn was in existence from about 1840 through the early 1950s. It is very likely that Abraham Lincoln stopped there while traveling as a lawyer on the 8th Judicial Circuit from Springfield to the Postville Courthouse. Learn more information on the Tantivy Inn HERE.

Broadwell had a place to eat on Route 66, a restaurant known as the famous Pig Hip Restaurant. The restaurant was the local place to eat on Route 66 in Broadwell for 54 years (1937-1991). People would journey for miles to Broadwell to see the Pig Hip Restaurant sign and get one of the famous Pig Hip Sandwiches.

"The sandwich consisted of thinly sliced ham cut in quarter-size pieces placed around the outside of a 3-inch buttered and grilled hamburger bun. Then it was finished with lettuce, tomato, and a special sauce called, “Pig-Hip Dip” on the inside. Word spread and success grew because of this 15-cent sandwich. So much so that, in 1939, he decided to rename the restaurant from the then Harbor Inn to the Pig-Hip Restaurant." Pig-Hips on Route 66, 2nd ed. (Lincoln, IL: Lincoln Printers, Inc., 2006)

Later a museum, the former restaurant burned down in 2007, but the memorial plaque and original Pig-Hip Restaurant Sign still stand in Broadwell as a landmark and stop for Route 66 Travelers.

More information on The Pig Hip and Ernie Edwards  HERE

The Mill Museum  in Lincoln, IL houses displays for travelers to see some items from the Pig Hip and learn about what this memorable stop, and the late owner --Ernie Edwards, meant to the town of Broadwell. 

Visit the Broadwell Facebook Page  for more information.