Historic Preservation Council to consider East Town, Boots Motel during meeting July 15
Jun. 30—The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation announced this week that it will consider nominations to the National Register of Historic Places during a meeting at 10 a.m. Friday, July 15, in the LaCharrette and Nightingale Conference Rooms at the Lewis and Clark State Office Building in Jefferson City.
Among the nominations are those for Joplin's East Town Historic District and another for the Boots Motel in Carthage.
The East Town Historic District is defined as that area bounded by Langston Hughes-Broadway, Landreth Avenue, Hill Street and Division Avenue.
What makes the East Town neighborhood historically significant is the rich cultural story of Black people in Joplin, residents were told last month at a meeting about its nomination as a historical district.
Despite periodic racial flareups, including the most notable, a 1903 lynching and a white effort to expel Black residents, a large part of Joplin's Black community remained a steadfast presence in the city.
Historic preservation consultant Rory Krupp of Columbus, Ohio, recently told residents the story he will present to the state advisory council.
Krupp's study of the neighborhood forms the basis of the nomination and describes the social history of the neighborhood and how it relates to the buildings there, he said.
"It is the original part of Joplin, but it also is an African American enclave," Krupp said. While Black residents moved into different sections of town over history, some remained and others returned to East Town, providing a constant presence there."
Boots Motor Court
Boots Motor Court, at 107 S. Garrison Ave., Carthage, is also on the list for consideration.
The motel was built in 1939 by Arthur Boots at "the crossroads of America," as it was billed at the time, when the intersection of Central and Garrison in Carthage was also the intersection of routes 66 and 71, two major highways in 1940's America.
The Boots featured covered carports and a radio in every room.
Gary Daggett, president of the Texas Route 66 Association, who visited the motel recently, said the Boots Court represents the kind of travel his grandparents experienced when major roads went through small towns before four-lane interstates were built.
"Route 66 spans eight states," Daggett said. "The Boots is the second oldest motel still in operation on Route 66. That right there is amazing. To have this place in the shape it's in for people to still enjoy and spend the night — just to stay here is a treat."
The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is a group of historians, architects, archaeologists and citizens with an interest in historic preservation. The council is appointed by the governor and works with the Department of Natural Resources' State Historic Preservation Office, which administers the National Register of Historic Places program for Missouri.
Approved nominations are forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C., for final approval.
