April 16, 2008 11:00 pm
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By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — A proposed design for a Route 66 display in the Jasper County Courthouse drew praise Wednesday from county commissioners and an official of a group that promotes Route 66 in Missouri.
The display “will be a good addition to the history along the route,” said Tommy Pike, president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri. “People definitely will want to stop and see it.”
Plans for the display were outlined by Brad Belk and Christopher Wiseman of the Joplin Museum Complex, who are developing the project at the request of the County Commission. Primary funding is coming from a federal transportation grant sought by the county.
Elements of the exhibit are to include a facade of the former Boots Drive-In in Carthage as a display case to secure Route 66 artifacts to be displayed; a vintage gasoline pump; a Missouri Route 66 sign; and model front ends of two vehicles from the early days of the highway.
The display will occupy space in the courthouse lobby just across from the elevator. On facing walls will be maps of Route 66 in the United States and in Jasper County, with information on communities through which the route passes. The exhibit also will include a flat-screen television for presentation of a slide show of Route 66 scenes from the early days to the present.
“For this fantastic building, it’s going to be a shift from the Victorian to the 1930s,” Belk said. “We’re going to make sure that everything we do is not invasive, so if there is a decision to move it in the future, there will be no impact on the building.”
Darieus Adams, Western District commissioner, said members of the courthouse preservation committee “are 100 percent supportive” of the plan.
“I think it’s going to be absolutely beautiful,” he said.
Belk said the design still is considered preliminary, though it has been approved by regional and federal highway department officials who have authorized planners to begin spending money for the work. He said approval by the County Commission will allow him and Wiseman to start on final design, with plans for the display to be in place by the end of the year.
Since the project is federally funded, the purchase of materials and artifacts will be subject to federal bidding procedures, Belk said.
Pike said he expects that some area residents and Route 66 collectors will want to share memorabilia for display in the museum, since the display cases will be secured.
“If that happens, we’ll be able to rotate materials in the exhibit,” Wiseman said.
Approval expected
Jim Honey, Eastern District commissioner for Jasper County, said he expects a motion to approve the display design will be made when the commission meets for its general session at 9 a.m. today.
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Photos
Globe/B.W. Shepherd
Brad Belk, director of the Joplin Museum Complex, talks about a plan for a Route 66 display he unveiled Wednesday at the Jasper County Courthouse. The County Commission most likely will adopt the plan for the display at a meeting this morning. The display will be housed at the historic courthouse in Carthage.