Literally, a piece of history!

The Great Platte River Road Arch by Kearney is getting a piece of U.S. history. Literally.

This summer, a construction crew in Canton, Ohio, dug up original Lincoln Highway bricks during a street construction project. These bricks will become a "recreated" section of Highway 30 at the Archway. Originally, the Arch had planned to secure a brick from each state the highway passed through, but when the Canton bricks surfaced, the Archway decided the free bricks were an offer that couldn't be refused.

For history buffs, the Archway gives a modern view of Americana.

The Lincoln Highway, which follows the route of U.S. Highway 30 and passes through Kearney, will be celebrating its 100-year celebration in 2013. A few highlights about the Lincoln Highway include:

• The Lincoln Highway spans the U.S. from Times Square in NYC to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. It generally follows the route of today's U.S. Highway 30.
• Construction was completed in 1913.
• The original guidebook mentioned that a coast-to-coast trip could be completed in 20 to 30 days. Of course that meant driving seven hours each day at a rate of 18 mph.
• The highway spans 3,400 miles.
• In Nebraska, there are sections of the old Highway in Shelton and Omaha.
• The centennial celebration will be held in Kearney in 2013 at the Archway.