The public will get its first look at a Route 66 display for the Jasper County Courthouse on April 16, reports the Carthage (Mo.) Press.
The person in charge of the Route 66 display is Brad Belk, executive director of the nearby Joplin Museum Complex. The cost of the museum is being partially paid for with a Missouri Department of Transportation grant.
Belk said the plans include creating a display near the south door, across from the old elevator in the courthouse. […]
“In our research, the Carthage courthouse is always a must-see on Route 66 for everyone we’ve talked to,” Belk said. “Now it will fit into that better with a display that is Route 66-related.”
Sue Vandergrift, chairwoman of the courthouse advisory board, said she’s looking forward to seeing Belk’s plans.
“If Brad Belk is organizing this, it will be done well,” Vandergrift said. “This wouldn’t have gone anywhere without the help of Chuck Surface (former presiding commissioner). This will bring a lot of tourism to the courthouse and I think people will enjoy, not only the Route 66 museum but the large amount of history in the courthouse itself.”
The public meeting for the first look at the Route 66 display will be at 10:30 a.m. April 16, in the commissioners’ office at the courthouse.