The long-closed Barfield Building in downtown Amarillo that will become a Marriott hotel recently was named to the National Register of Historic Places. The listing was effective Jan. 11 but wasn't known until last week's email from the National Park Service that was delayed by the 35-day government shutdown. On the National Register nomination form, … Continue reading Barfield Building in Amarillo added to National Register of Historic Places
Category: History
Route 66 centennial bill reintroduced in Congress
An Illinois lawmaker reintroduced the Route 66 Centennial Commission Act before the Congress just days after the previous session failed to advance it and a Route 66 Historic Trail bill past the U.S. Senate. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) reintroduced the centennial bill, called H.R. 66, on Jan. 3 as the new Congress convened. Davis … Continue reading Route 66 centennial bill reintroduced in Congress
Last Camp Joy cabin to be donated to Lebanon Route 66 group
The last surviving cabin at the long-closed Camp Joy tourist camp in Lebanon, Missouri, will be donated to the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society so it can be repaired and restored. The donation by Lee Sing, owner of Sing Rental, initially was announced Saturday during the Route 66 Association of Missouri meeting in Lebanon. Camp … Continue reading Last Camp Joy cabin to be donated to Lebanon Route 66 group
Missouri State uploads “Trucking on Route 66” interviews
Missouri State University Libraries over the years has interviewed a number of Route 66 figures (including yours truly) as part of an oral-history project. It received a Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program cost-share grant to amass a "Trucking on Route 66" oral-history collection. MSU Libraries, in a collaboration with Ozarks Alive, has been uploading interviews … Continue reading Missouri State uploads “Trucking on Route 66” interviews
Book review: “Jensen Point: Stop and Reminisce”
When Wayne Winchester bought Jensen's Point near Pacific, Missouri, as part of a package deal for his WINTEC Pharmaceutical business in 1991, he didn't have to preserve the historic property. But he did, because he fell in love with it. “Once I bought that property, I knew that Jensen’s Point had to be saved for … Continue reading Book review: “Jensen Point: Stop and Reminisce”
Photographer Terrence Moore talks about his life’s work on Route 66
Terrence Moore has made the publicity rounds for his excellent new book, "66 for 66: A Photographer's Journey." If you have an hour to kill, Moore talks about his book and his nearly 50 years of documenting Route 66 in this free-wheeling segment on Big Blend Radio: https://youtu.be/uhS3eEW4bC0 Moore also was interviewed by Arizona Highways … Continue reading Photographer Terrence Moore talks about his life’s work on Route 66
Mother Jones historical marker unveiled at Coalfield rest area in Illinois
Officials recently unveiled a historical marker dedicated to union activist Mother Jones at the Coalfield rest area along Interstate 55 in Illinois, not far from where she is buried. According to the Macoupin County-Carlinville Inquirer-Democrat: The large, 4×4-foot marker was placed in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Transportation and is paired with an indoor … Continue reading Mother Jones historical marker unveiled at Coalfield rest area in Illinois
Spook Light legend was debunked more than 70 years ago
For decades, locals of the tri-state area of Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas have talked about the so-called "Spook Light" phenomenon that occurs on a country road near the hamlet of Hornet, Missouri. It's been described as a flickering ball of light that would appear in the early evening, then would disappear if you attempted to … Continue reading Spook Light legend was debunked more than 70 years ago
Texas Historical Commission now considers Washburn a Route 66 town
The Texas Historical Commission recently completed a survey of Route 66 in the Lone Star State, including an interactive Google Map that shows even obscure alignments, hundreds of photos of historic sites and an apparent ruling that Washburn once was a town on the Mother Road. Results of the survey of Texas' 178 miles of … Continue reading Texas Historical Commission now considers Washburn a Route 66 town
Owner of Town House Dining Room in Albuquerque dies; restaurant closes
The Town House Dining Room along Central Avenue (aka Route 66) in Albuquerque closed shortly before the death of its owner, Constantine “Dino” Argyres. Argyres, 57, died Nov. 12, according to an obituary in the Albuquerque Journal. On its Facebook page Oct. 31, the Town House posted: It brings great sadness that the Town House Dining … Continue reading Owner of Town House Dining Room in Albuquerque dies; restaurant closes