Lebanon
Lebanon claims the original Munger Moss Motel, built in 1846, with its vintage neon sign and auto court. Themed rooms highlight Route 66 states or unique roadside attractions.
At the Route 66 Museum and Research Center, which offers group tours with advance request, a diorama illustrates Lebanon’s original Route 66 intersection, now totally rebuilt with newer structures.
Arthur Nelson, local entrepreneur, donated land for Route 66 and turned his attention toward businesses that catered to the traveler. In original photographs, visitors can see Nelson’s Service Station, the Nelson Tavern — later renamed the Nelson Hotel — and Nelson’s Dream Village, a rock court motel with small, sandstone-sided cabins situated around a central plaza.
“Nelson was a fairly large player in Lebanon travel and in the history of Missouri travel,” said Mark Spangler, curator of the Route 66 Museum. “If you had traveled Route 66 at that time, it wasn’t easy to forget those sites.”
The museum displays a handful of artifacts: napkins from the hotel dining room, patches from service station personnel and numerous postcards. Three life-size vignettes re-create a diner, a service station and a hotel that were popular with Route 66 travelers.
“Visitors from all over the world travel the Mother Road to stay in our historic Munger Moss Motel and reminisce through all the memorabilia displayed in the Route 66 Museum,” said Gail Bryant, director of tourism and marketing for the city of Lebanon. “Many return year after year.”
Springfield
The Gillioz Theatre made an impressive Springfield landmark along Route 66. Although the theater was built farther back, the builder placed the marquee directly on the road to attract patrons. Silent films, talkies, vaudeville and more sophisticated movies entertained locals and travelers throughout the years.
The theater’s restoration, completed in October 2006, brought the lobby and auditorium back to their original 1926 condition. Paintings and architectural details are representative of grand movie palaces of those bygone days, and the auditorium seats more than 1,100. Concerts, from rock to jazz and pop; classic films; and local theater productions fill the event calendar.
“This isn’t your average entertainment venue,” said Michael Owens, managing director of the Gillioz Theatre. “The restoration maintains the grandeur of the past.”
