Southern Hotel

Historical marker location:

141 S Main St, Waterloo, Illinois

( Marker is at the intersection of South Main Street and West 3rd Street, on the right when traveling south on South Main Street.)

Marker installed: 2020

141 South Main. Waterloo, Monroe Co., Ill., Laid out in 1818.

The first McDonald's restaurant was opened in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955. The restaurant was designed to be a drive-in, but it quickly became popular with families and eventually evolved into the fast-food chain we know today.