A 19th-century horse lover's bequest led to the construction of this unique fountain in Chicago.

Once called the "Polish Gold Coast" it is an icon of the neighborhood that bears its same name.

A beloved Chicago music venue offering cold beer and lots of “Friendly."

A century-old hotspot for jazz, frequented by everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone.

This historic hotel invented the chocolate brownie.

Beloved bar home to musicians of all eras and reputations.

A speakeasy takes on Chicago's drinking culture.

This cemetery is all that remains of a school for "wayward" girls.

One of the oldest surviving lock houses on the Ohio River.

These pretty kitties killed and ate as many as 135 railway workers.

A Depression-era sculpture by Charles Umlauf survives in a small suburban post office.

The remnants of Peoria's proud baseball past stand slightly abandoned, but not forgotten.

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

These Depression-era WPA sculptures have made a couple of stops over the years.

One of two identical monuments marking the sites of military training encampments in Peoria, Illinois.

A massive bur oak tree believed to be some 500 years old is the centerpiece of this quiet urban greenspace.

Steel remnants of a bridge make up a unique sculpture along the banks of the Illinois River.

Tiny treasures, giant murals, and strange sculptures decorate the windows and doors of this abandoned building.

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

While he no longer has an eatery to give him context, this off-brand Paul Bunyan still holds his giant hot dog with pride.

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

One of the largest carillons in the world, this giant instrument has 67 cast-iron bells played by a keyboard.

The original vault that held the president's remains still stands, empty, not far from where he was finally buried.

Oversized statues are just the tip of this nostalgic Americana roadside attraction.