The city council of Lincoln, Illinois, this week approved $12,000 in motel-tax funds to help finish restoring The Mill, a now-closed restaurant on Route 66 that eventually will become a museum. According to the Lincoln Courier, the Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County plans to use the money for plumbing and sewer-line work. The money will go to … Continue reading City of Lincoln approves funds for The Mill restoration
Category: Museums
Soft opening set for Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum
The Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, will open for limited hours beginning June 1. The museum originally was set to have limited hours in March but was pushed back. The museum at 13 Sahoma Lake Road, just off Route 66 on the city's west side, will feature vintage cars, exhibits about Route 66 and … Continue reading Soft opening set for Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum
Rapper will restore “The Outsiders” house
A rapper in the group House of Pain purchased a house in north Tulsa prominently used in the 1983 film version of "The Outsiders." He plans to restore the dilapidated home and turn it into a museum dedicated to the film and the S.E. Hinton novel on which it's based. Danny O'Connor, aka Danny Boy, of House of … Continue reading Rapper will restore “The Outsiders” house
Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center draws 16,000 its first year
The Cruisin' with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center in Bloomington, Illinois, is rapidly approaching the first anniversary of its opening and reports more than 16,000 visitors since that time. The Bloomington-Normal region decided to build the Route 66-themed part of McLean County Museum of History because Route 66 tourists were bypassing the Twin Cities. More Route … Continue reading Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center draws 16,000 its first year
Will Rogers Memorial Museum merged into Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin this week signed her first bill of the 2016 state legislative session, which was to transfer the Will Rogers Memorial Commission into the Oklahoma Historical Society. It was a move that was sought for years and supported by both organizations. Tad Jones, director of the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma, explained a few … Continue reading Will Rogers Memorial Museum merged into Oklahoma Historical Society
Tulsa lands Bob Dylan archive
A few years ago, Tulsa was lucky enough to acquire the archive of folk-music legend Woody Guthrie. So it seems natural Tulsa also would acquire the archive of music legend Bob Dylan, who began his career as a Woody Guthrie disciple. The New York Times got the scoop this week of the Tulsa-based George Kaiser … Continue reading Tulsa lands Bob Dylan archive
The curse of Grants uranium mines
The nonprofit magazine In These Times recently published an in-depth article about uranium miners in the Route 66 town of Grants, New Mexico. The mines operated in Grants and Church Rock, New Mexico, from the 1950s to the 1980s. Many miners contracted cancer and other diseases from radiation exposure. The federal government under the Radiation … Continue reading The curse of Grants uranium mines
The home of the Bel-Aire Motel Sputnik
I missed this when it happened last summer, but Ace Sign Co. of Springfield, Illinois, restored the Sputnik sign that stood atop the Bel-Aire Motel and displays it in its museum. The Bel-Aire, a longtime Route 66 motel, was torn down last year after hundreds of code violations. According to a story on the Illinois Route 66 … Continue reading The home of the Bel-Aire Motel Sputnik
Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum set to open by March
The Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, will have a soft opening in late March and an official opening June 1, according to Richard Holmes, president of the nonprofit museum. The museum at 13 Sahoma Lake Road, just off Route 66 on Sapulpa's west side, will feature a 66-foot-tall, old-style gasoline pump that … Continue reading Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum set to open by March
$500,000 grant accepted for Arizona State Railroad Museum
The city of Williams, Arizona, accepted a $500,000 state grant to help acquire artifacts for the Arizona State Railroad Museum, reported the Williams News. The grant, which will be available by fiscal year 2018, came with help from the Northern Arizona Council of Governments. It requires a $5,000 administrative fee and a 5.7 percent match of any money … Continue reading $500,000 grant accepted for Arizona State Railroad Museum