Boots Motel

Boots Court Motel opened in 1939 in Carthage, Missouri, as automobile travel and roadside lodging expanded across the United States. Built by Arthur and Ilda Boots on U.S. Route 66 at its intersection with U.S. Route 71, the property served travelers moving through a location promoted as the “crossroads of America.” Its Streamline Moderne and Art Deco character, black Carrara glass, green neon, and individual covered carports reflected the design language of the early motor court. The motel advertised a radio in every room, combining practical roadside convenience with modern entertainment. A filling station operated briefly at the front of the property before the space became the motel office. In 1942, Ples Neely and his wife purchased Boots Court. They expanded it in 1946 with a five-room rear building, bringing the property to 13 rooms; the final room was labeled 14 because of contemporary beliefs about the number 13. During the mid-1940s, Arthur Boots opened a drive-in restaurant across the street. The business offered fountain service and all-hours breakfast, and KDMO radio used it as a location for interviews with travelers. The restaurant closed in 1971 after Interstate 44 bypassed the town's established Route 66 traffic flow. Rachel and Ruben Asplin bought the motel in 1948 and maintained it for much of the second half of the twentieth century. As travel amenities evolved, the property advertised television, telephones, and air conditioning alongside its earlier radio-based identity. The motel became associated with Route 66 nostalgia and reportedly hosted figures including Clark Gable, Mickey Mantle, and Gene Autry. After decades of changing ownership, the property entered a prolonged decline. In the 2000s, some rooms were rented monthly as low-income housing. A 2003 redevelopment attempt that would have removed the motel for a Walgreens site failed following local opposition. The property was not available to ordinary short-term Route 66 tourists during Vince Scott's ownership from October 2003 to June 2011, and its buildings deteriorated significantly. Preservation groups listed it among endangered roadside attractions and endangered Missouri buildings. A 2011 sale attempt did not attract a buyer. After foreclosure, Hometown Bank acquired the property at auction for an amount reported in the reference material, and Deborah Harvey and Priscilla Bledsaw purchased it in August 2011 with the intention of restoring it. The restoration sought to retain the motel's original scale and appearance rather than replace it with a contemporary lodging format. Five annex rooms reopened in May 2012. The original roofline was recovered in 2013, and the historic neon sign was restored with assistance from donations and the original signmaker. Grants from the National Park Service's Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program and additional preservation support helped finance the work. Seven rooms were open by 2020. During the COVID-19 period, reduced travel and the owners' advancing age contributed to another sale. Two local couples purchased the property, and the Boots Court Foundation was created in 2021 to complete the rehabilitation. Missouri's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation recommended the site for National Register listing in July 2022, and the National Park Service approved the listing on September 26 of that year. The last of the 13 rooms reopened on February 17, 2023. Restoration of an adjacent Sinclair fuel station remained under consideration as a possible visitor center. The restored motel presents a deliberately historical guest experience. Rooms feature compact original-scale bathrooms, real keys, chrome hardware, chenille bedspreads, monogrammed towels, built-in dressers, and radios playing 1940s music. The property therefore functions both as lodging and as a preserved roadside cultural site, with its brand identity rooted in the history of American motoring, Route 66 tourism, and mid-century design.

1. 2023All motel rooms restored and reopened

   The final one of 13 historically restored rooms reopens on February 17.

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2. 2022National Register listing approved

   The National Park Service approves Boots Court's inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places on September 26.

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3. 2021Boots Court Foundation formed

   A nonprofit foundation is established to continue the restoration and preservation program.

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4. 2020Seven rooms restored

   Seven of the motel's 13 rooms are restored and open to guests.

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5. 2013Roofline and neon restoration

   The later gabled roof is replaced with a historically appropriate flat roof, and the original neon sign is restored.

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6. 2012First restored rooms reopen

   Five rooms in the 1946 annex return to service for Route 66 travelers.

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7. 2011Preservation ownership begins

   After foreclosure and an unsuccessful sale attempt, Deborah Harvey and Priscilla Bledsaw purchase the property and begin a major restoration.

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8. 1971Drive-in restaurant closes

   The Boots drive-in across the road closes after Interstate 44 diverts much of the former through traffic away from Carthage.

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9. 1948The Asplin ownership period begins

   Rachel and Ruben Asplin purchase Boots Court and operate it for decades.

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10. 1946Five-room annex added

    A rear building expands the motel to 13 rooms, with the thirteenth room labeled 14.

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11. 1942Ples and Neely acquire the motel

    Ples Neely and his wife purchase Boots Court, beginning a new ownership period during the motel's early expansion.

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12. 1939Boots Court opens on U.S. Route 66

    Arthur and Ilda Boots open the 1939 motor motel in Carthage, Missouri, advertising radios in every room and covered carports for motorists.

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Authentic Route 66 heritage lodging focused on preservation, automotive travel history, and an immersive recreation of 1940s roadside hospitality.

• Historic guest roomsAccommodation1939

  Boots Motel's core offering is a collection of 13 compact rooms restored to evoke the property's 1940s operating period. Rooms retain or recreate features associated with the original motor court, including built-in dressers, chrome light fixtures, chenille bedspreads, monogrammed towels, real keys, and radios playing music from the period. The rooms are designed as a historical lodging experience rather than as modern standardized hotel units.

• Covered carport lodgingMotor-court amenity1939

  Individual covered carports were part of the original Boots Court concept, allowing travelers to park directly beside their rooms. This automobile-oriented arrangement reflects the motel's pre-Interstate Highway design and remains central to its identity as a preserved Route 66 motor court.

• Boots Court heritage experienceHeritage tourism2011

  Beyond overnight accommodation, the property offers visitors an encounter with preserved Route 66 architecture, neon signage, period room details, and the history of American roadside travel. The adjacent former Sinclair station is also being considered for a future visitor-center function, although that project is not identified as complete.

• 1940Radio in every room

  United States

  The motel's early advertising highlighted a radio in every room, presenting the property as a modern and convenient stop for automobile travelers during the pre-television era.

  Outcome. The promise became one of the defining elements of Boots Court's historical identity and is echoed in the restored rooms.

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• 1940Breakfast at the Crossroads of America

  United States

  The associated Boots drive-in used its location across from the motel for fountain service, all-hours breakfast, and KDMO radio interviews with travelers passing along U.S. Route 66 and U.S. Route 71.

  Outcome. The drive-in initially attracted business but ultimately closed in 1971 after Interstate 44 diverted traffic away from the site.

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• 2021Create a preservation foundationStrategy

  After a later ownership change during the COVID-19 travel downturn, continued restoration required an organization focused on preservation and operation.

  What changed. The Boots Court Foundation, organized as a 501(c) entity, was established to complete the restoration program.

  Aftermath. The final restored motel room reopened in February 2023, while work continued on the adjacent Sinclair station.

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• 2011Restore the motel rather than redevelop the siteStrategy

  The deteriorated property had faced a failed demolition and redevelopment proposal and had been identified as an endangered roadside attraction.

  What changed. New owners Deborah Harvey and Priscilla Bledsaw acquired the motel after foreclosure and pursued historically sensitive restoration for continued lodging use.

  Aftermath. Rooms reopened in stages, the property gained National Register recognition, and all 13 rooms were eventually restored and reopened.

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• 2023All thirteen historically restored rooms reopen

  The final restored room reopened on February 17, completing the principal room-restoration phase while work continued on an adjacent Sinclair station.

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• 2022Boots Court Motel added to the National Register of Historic Places

  The National Park Service approved the property's National Register listing on September 26, recognizing its architectural and Route 66 significance.

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• 2021Boots Court Foundation established to complete restoration

  A 501(c) preservation organization was formed to continue restoration and operate the historic motel after a change in ownership during the pandemic period.

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• 2013Original Boots Court roofline restored

  A later gabled roof was removed and the original flat roof was reconstructed, restoring an important feature of the motel's Streamline Moderne design.

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• 2013Historic Boots Court neon sign restored

  The motel's red-and-white neon signage was rehabilitated with support from a private donation and work by the sign's original maker.

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• 2012Boots Court Motel reopens restored annex rooms

  The first five restored rooms, located in the motel's 1946 rear annex, reopened to Route 66 travelers as the broader preservation project began.

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1. Boots Court Motel