The historic Boots Court motel in Carthage, Missouri, announced all 13 of its rooms now are available for overnight travelers.
The owners in a Facebook post proclaimed it was the first time “in decades” all the rooms can be booked. That includes the fabled Clark Gable Room; No. 6 was used by the movie star during his cross-country trips from his native Ohio.
The nonprofit Boots Court Foundation, in cooperation with CTown LLC, announced early last year they were beginning a full restoration of the Route 66 landmark.
The Boots Court, known as the Boots Motel before reverting to its original name, changed owners in 2021. Two couples from the Carthage area bought the property.
The motel came close to being demolished in the early 2000s when its owner, citing poor health, sold it to a local developer. Speculation ran rampant the motel would be razed for a Walgreens.
An outcry from the Route 66 Association of Missouri, Friends of the Mother Road and other preservationists apparently scared off the developers.
The Boots Court was built in 1939 by Arthur Boots.
(Image of the Boots Court in Carthage, Missouri, by Jeff Kays via Flickr)
Great news! Let’s hope there are customers to support this place.