Girl Scouts, public to learn about 'Women on the Mother Road' at Overholser Mansion event

Preservation Oklahoma, the Threatt Filling Station Foundation and other community partners have teamed up to host an event focusing on the women of Route 66 at 2 p.m. Nov. 4 in the Overholser Mansion Carriage House, 405 NW 15.

The free event called "Route 66: The Untold Story of the Women of the Mother Road" is geared toward Girl Scouts and students in seventh through 10th grades. Members of the general public are also invited. Refreshments will be available.

A portion of the documentary film series "Women on the Mother Road" will be shown and attendees will be able to participate in activities highlighting Route 66. The film series focuses on how the late Elizabeth Threatt, of Luther, and other women overcame segregation and gender discrimination to build meaningful lives for themselves and future generations on America's Route 66.

Threatt Filling Station was the only known Black-owned filling station along Route 66 during segregation

Members of the Threatt family who are restoring the historic Threatt Filling Station in Luther will be part of a panel discussion on Saturday. The Threatt Filling Station was the only fueling station on Route 66 known to have been owned and operated by Black business owners during segregation. Saturday's event will explore how Black travelers and entrepreneurs navigated segregation on Route 66 and also explores how other groups survived some of the challenges on the roadway.

More: Two new grants for Threatt station Oklahoma family celebrates two new grants for historic Black-owned fueling station

At the "Women on the Mother Road" Oklahoma premiere, family members including Edward Threatt talked about their historic fueling station and about Elizabeth Threatt's legacy. He said she helped run the Threatt Filling Station for a time and she was a much respected and beloved longtime Luther schoolteacher, so much so, that the Luther library is named after her and a street in Luther also bears her name.

Katrina Parks, the documentary series' director, said connecting local audiences to the historic places in their midst was one of the major goals of the film project.

"For me, this is what it is all about," she said. "When I film these stories, it's about bringing them back to the communities to which they are really the most important because I think these are stories that need to be preserved, and are very much attached to place, as well. I hope that they inspire people to want to do preservation work, and to look at history with a new lens."

More: Preservationists lead project Historic preservationists lead restoration project of Threatt Filling Station in Luther

The event is being supported by Preservation Oklahoma, Oklahoma Route 66 Association and the Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Advance registration is encouraged. For more information or to register for the event, email director@preservationok.org.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 'Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road' highlights Route 66 history