Route 66 winds through historic Edwardsville, where travelers found cafes, shops, places to rest, and fuel, tires, and other services, and many of those roadside spots remain standing today. Halley's Cash Market, in a prime location along the route, served travelers from 1927 to 1970 as a neighborhood grocery offering goods from ice cream to comic books and snacks. From the 1940s to the '60s, Route 66 also brought celebrity sightings as movie stars drove between Los Angeles and Chicago, often staying in homey lodgings such as the Lawder Tourist Home, which reportedly hosted at least one famous visitor before becoming a private residence. Edwardsville's first pizza was served at the Hi-Way Tavern & Café, where pizza pie was added to the menu in 1952 and enjoyed by local customers and Route 66 travelers, including Chicago Cubs fans headed to Saint Louis Cardinals baseball games.
