The Pig Hip Museum, a longtime restaurant on Route 66 in Broadwell, Ill., before owner Ernie Edwards converted it into a museum, burned to the ground Monday, reports the Bloomington Pantagraph.

I also received a forwarded e-mail from Kathy Miller, publisher and co-editor of the 66 News by the Illinois Route 66 Association:

My heart aches to report what follows. This is the saddest news that I can remember having to share. This afternoon at 2:30 p.m. the Pig Hip Museum caught on fire and burned to the ground.

Through several reports John Weiss and Johnny Miller have learned that Ernie and Francis were not at home at the time of the fire and not injured. There home was not harmed.

They had made a run to Lincoln only to come home and find the museum in flames with firetrucks surrounding the structure.

Bob Borowiak reports that only two walls remain standing; everything is lost.

Edwards opened the restaurant in 1937 and closed it in 1991, having served many of his signature Pig Hip ham sandwiches over the decades. He announced that the restaurant would be converted into a museum in 2003, and the Illinois association’s efforts were instrumental in making that happen.

The Pantagraph story has a good overview of the restaurant’s colorful history.

UPDATE: The Pantagraph has a more updated story about the fire, including photos.

Alas, it appears the building had little more than liability insurance. So the prospects of it being rebuilt are uncertain.

UPDATE2: Here’s a story about the fire from the Springfield Journal-Register. It sounds like Ernie is staying positive about all this. After all, he has the great memories and an incredible life on 66.

UPDATE3: I’m passing along this e-mail:

Kathy Miller and I will put together photo albums that we can present to Fran and Ernie at the Motor Tour!

If you have a photo you can scan it and forward it to me via my email address cathiesb@earthlink.net, or mail the photo(s) to the museum, we’ll scan it and return the photo to you. Ernie lost the contents of the Pig Hip but I’m sure we all have photos!!! Kathy Miller and I talked tonight about making a memory quilt for him … scanning some photos on fabric and making a wall hanging or full quilt.

SO PLEASE dig in your photo drawer or box or albums and see if there’s a nice photo you’d like to share with Fran and Ernie. We can’t replace what he and Fran lost but we can share back with him a little of what he and Fran have shared with us!

Thanks so much for your help!!!

Kathy Miller and Cathie Stevanovich

UPDATE4: The Lincoln Courier has a story about Route 66 fans’ reaction to the fire, including a photograph of the fire in progress. Here’s a second Courier story, with more fire photos including Ernie remaining cheery to visitors as his restaurant goes up in smoke.

UPDATE5: Chicago Sun-Times writer Dave Hoekstra, a longtime supporter of Route 66, has a story about the fire.

Illinois Route 66 preservationist John Weiss said something interesting:

“There’s so few places left, but at the Pig Hip you could actually come in and feel, touch and experience it. You can’t repair an icon, but something will be done. People are already coming forward.”

As for Ernie, he says he’ll still greet roadies as planned at the property during the Motor Tour.

“There’s not much left but junk,” Edwards said Tuesday. “But if we get it cleaned up by June, I’ll pitch a tent there and host the 150th anniversary for our little town and my 90th birthday.”

UPDATE6: The Bloomington Pantagraph reports that the fire was likely caused by an electrical problem, although an exact cause probably will never be known. Fortunately, it appears that Ernie has confirmed that the building was fully insured.

Also, the Pantagraph reports that the residents of Broadwell and Route 66ers are in mourning, and seem determined to remember or commemorate the Pig Hip some way, somehow.

Janeen Burkholder of Associated Content also has a nice overview of what’s happened in the last few days.