Route 66 Ghost Towns Missouri - 11 towns between Carthage and Springfield 

Want to see more Missouri videos? Here's my entire playlist of Missouri! ru-vid.com/group/PL4jqwLUrhjNSZmCT_CPJKnt9kLzGjS2TV

Gotta admit, Spencer looked pretty cool, and it's good to see that someone restored the old buildings here. Kudos to whoever did that.

Springfield Missouri. Where RT 66 Started. Live in the Ozarks Missouri. Thank God! 🙏🏁🤠

Avilla holds great memories for me. My grandma and grandpa lived there, and grandpa had his own blacksmith shop just on the west side and behind of what used to be the farm store Chapman Follmers. In fact, when I was 4 and my cousins and I were playing amongst the farm machinery there a corn picker fell on my chest. My uncle single handedly picked it up while my dad pulled me out and rushed me to the hospital in Carthage. I was lucky. It then took four men to pick it up and reset it on it's supports. After that they fenced it in. Grandpa was well known in the area as the best blacksmith. Their house burned when the Avilla lumberyard burned. As kids we roamed the town, visited the grocery store often where I was fascinated by the lady that sacked the groceries because she only had one arm. Crazy what you remember from childhood. My cousin still lives there on grandma and grandpa's property. Good times. That was back in the 50s, 60s, 70s, etc. Family was really important then.

I'm glad you featured that stone building in Plano. It stands out as one of the most interesting along the route and looks like it could be centuries older than the 1890's. Someone sure put a lot of care into building that one.

Last time I drove 66 through that area was in the mid 90’s when the road nostalgia craze was just starting. I think it’s time to go back. Thanks for sharing.

Thankyou for showing my home town of HALLTOWN I grew up there, my parents and my older brother and younger sister moved there in 1970 and lived there till the mid 80's. Than my parents moved to AURORA MO about 20 - 25 miles from HALLTOWN . I now live in MOUNT VERNON MISSOURI just about 12 miles from HALLTOWN. Besides living in Tulsa OK from 1981 - 1988 , I have lived in this same area most of my live. When me moved to HALLTOWN I was 7 years old , I'm now 60. I was born along with my older brother in California, when I was 5 in 1968 that's when we moved to Springfield Missouri, my sister was born in 1969 and in 1970 we moved to HALLTOWN. My parents have both passed away , and my sister lives in Springfield Missouri, and me and my older brother we both live in MOUNT VERNON Missouri .

Thank you for teaching me the history of places I go by quite a bit. You treat these places with respect. I appreciate that.

It's been a while since I have seen Missouri ! Thank you ! I'm Irish but you will be glad to know I do not rob banks!!

Thanks for this tour of historic Route 66. I grew up and lived most of my life in Springfield, MO, and traveled Rt. 66 a lot. My grandparents lived in Joplin and my first mother in law lived on 96 fairly close to Miller, MO, in a WPA school building built of those cool stones that so many buildings were built of way back when.

Famous road, much history,-" I got my kicks on route 66"!!!

I grew up in Springfield. Used to travel Route 66 to visit family in Golden City. Interesting trivia: Halltown was the last community in Missouri to install dial phones-in the mid 1970s! Before that if you stopped at a phone booth there you had to give the number you were calling to an operator.

I'm always amazed how some towns on 66 died, using the explanation that the interstates caused fewer people to visit these towns, but yet there are lots of communities all along Route 66 that are still thriving, Baxter Springs, Kansas being one of them. It's a decent size place still with lots of businesses. I wonder why these other towns that are dead or dying couldn't do what the towns that survived along the route did to survive.

I lived on this route!!! so cool

I drive this road often. Thanks for giving some history of these little towns that time assed by. Very interesting.

My husband and I live on Rt 66 in Pennsylvania. We love it

I enjoyed your walk through history in Southern Missouri...I was raised in NE Missouri, around Hannibal. My family has over 200 year of history associated with Missouri.

You get to meet some interesting characters. We’re lucky they are working to keep the history alive.

I love the way you add in the history of the places you visit -thank you for sharing.

Will definitely drive this route in May 2023. Thanks!

I am really liking your videos Wiseguy. Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas are fascinating.

Thanks so much for this video tour. I enjoy seeing places that once were but are now no more.

Thank you for the great video, the old places. I remember the old 66 highway, the interstate 44 was built in the 60’s. I was born in Springfield in 1954, grew up in Rolla. We traveled back and forth on the 66 and 44 , also from Springfield to the southeast corner of Kansas. Many trips, stopped at the old places for gas and old picnic parks. When I was about 7 years old, my grandparents drove to one of the old gas stations, an old lady ran it. The gas was something like $ .21 cents a gallon. Old 66 had a beveled curb-lip on the shoulder. Once my grandmother kind of veered over a little, onto the lip. It made the whole car rock back and forth. It was a 58 chev. Scary for a little kid.

It's nice to hear a bit of history about all these little towns. This is a portion of the route I take when driving between my house and my daughter's. Thanks for posting!

Thank you for the tour of Paris Springs!! The old garage by Paris springs church was my grandfather's! My grandparents also had a grocery store there just down the road!

Liking the old photo`s

Missouri State Square Dance Convention (few yrs ago) arranged for us to Dance on Rte 66!!

Thanks for showing the old gas station,etc in Spencer.. I use the fuel stop as my profile picture. Love these old buildings,as they show our heritage and our past.

I love any video dealing with Route 66. In my younger days spent some time in Kingman Az. on route 66. I love the history.

Thank you. It was very relaxing to watch this video. I have not been on this strip, but traveled it suite extensively off and o between Springfield and St Louis. It brought back memories especially the architecture. What a blessing.

Another well done video. Interesting stories and very nice bluegrass music. It all blends nicely together. Thanks for sharing.

My wife is from Lockwood, Missouri and we go back there often from Illinois. Fun fact, her cousin lives in the house right across Route 66 from Yeakley Chapel. Her family is also buried in the cemetery behind it.

That was awesome. Used to travel those roads when I would take my family to Table Rock @ Shell Knob to camp 🏕! Instead of 44.

Thank you , great job

Living in Springfield Missouri we have visited most of these lil places. Love 5he old rock buildings. Spencer is my favorite.

Back in the eighties I used to live right next to route 66 and Interstate 44 in Pacific Missouri. I work at Six Flags over Mid America and I also worked at a historical restaurant on route 66 called The Red Cedar Inn. Great memories.

I love the old stone buildings in Missouri.

Cool. Hopefully one of these days I am able to drive and see everything that is left on R66. Thank you.👏♥️😊

you should got to Jerico Springs ,Mo sometime. I was born there in a house, there was a hardware store, grocery store bank newswpaper gas station, now nothing.

what a fascinating video. thank you for all the work and sharing.

My mom and dad also lived in Halltown, they had a church for a little while,

Thank you for this. These are the areas i grew up. Plew to plano is all one school district which has a 50 mile radius. When i grew up in the 70's and 80's there, all those little towns still had operating grocery stores.

My dads cousin owned a dairy farm in Halltown so I have a lot of great memories about there. Most of my family was from Ash Grove.

I too keep an eye out for older alignments of highways, I'm glad you have the eye as well. I mentioned and showed Old US-99 pavement on my December birthday ride. As always, love your content.

Thank you, man! I've been traveling that stretch from Springfield to Carthage frequently since the 80s. I'm glad to know more about these landmarks.

Lived in jop;lin, left 1 year before the twisters, Carthage has a very cool court house, very old. still has old elevator even with a operator! Now this was 17 years ago...

I may have to take that route on my next trip to Springfield. I enjoyed the video and how you give information about all the towns, Ill be definitely checking out more of your videos.

Very well done video! You did this section well done!

So I grew up near here, and know the area unlike few. Avila, Rescue, Springtown, Halltown…all those towns affected by I-44 which diverted traffic away from the towns by up to 10 miles, whereas Mt. Vernon actually really benefited as I-44 went right thru it.

My dad grew up in Southeastern, MO. I didn't know anything about route 66 until recently. Thank you for sharing

Awesome!

Wow I just stumbled across your video and was amazed at the history tied in with it! We live about 20 miles from Route 66 and love riding to Spencer and Paris Junction and the surrounding areas. Hard to beat the Ozarks

My experience with 66 dates back to 1963-67 when my Dad was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood. The Army gave us the option of a DOD school or they'd bus us up to Rolla to St. Patrick's elem. Myself and a bus load of kids made the drive to Rolla every school day. We also made some off duty drives up to around St.Louis or down around Springfield. I remember all the road signs advertising restaurants or motels off old 66. In particular one restaurant had many many billboards and if I remember correctly it was named The Hitching Post. Our family budget was tight so getting to actually eat out was pretty much a fantasy I indulged in. Then when my Dad returned from Vietnam in late 1966, my Mom went all out and planned a weekend in St.Louis where my Dad was due to arrive by train. All our best clothes were packed and my older brother drove me, my Mom and sister up there. His train was to arrive early afternoon and we parked in a pay lot at the train station. After a joyful platform reunion, we walked to the parking lot, only to find out our car had been broken into and all our stuff stolen, including extra money Mom had in her suitcase. The police questioned the lot attendant who witnessed two people break the window and he told the cops he figured they had just lost their keys!! Anyway, Dad was the calmest of all of us, though Mom was in tears. He calmly said we would just drive back to Fort Wood after going by the hotel to cancel our reservation. And wouldn't you know it...but on the way home Dad exited the highway onto old route 66 and we stopped at that Hitching Post restaurant!!!!!!!!!!!!! The place was fairly large inside but only a few other folks inside. White table cloths and all. I ordered a burger and fries, but the fries weren't salted at all, and to show how restaurant savvy I was, I spied a water-glass sized container of white crystals in the middle of the table and ended up making my fries inedible from all the sugar I poured all over them! I'm sure all those restaurants and motels are long since closed. I witnessed a similar debacle on Hwy 41 on the northern edge of Atlanta as it went through towns like Kennesaw and Marietta. There used to be a ton of motels along that stretch and north to Chattanooga before they completed the stretch of I-75 in the late 70's.

The old gas station at 39 and 96 (Rt 66) is known as Crossroads to us locals. I was born and raised just south of there in Mt. Vernon. Thanks for spotlighting the history.

Thats freaking awesome because I live in Avilla indiana. Born and raised. Lived in avilla for 40 years.

IF…… I ever won a huge lottery, I’d fix up some of these places.

I grew up in St.Louis, by all of my summers were spent [ somewhere] in the Ozarks. I really do miss the Ozarks. Very cool video. 📻🙂

Wandering around these lonely places with you is very entertaining.

Nice road trip! Its amazing how many little towns were in such small area. 1 mile, 3 miles, etc. Tfs

Great video, I went to kindergarten and 1st grade in Halltown 68,69,went to Ashgrove till we moved to South Carolina in 76,good memories...

Nice footage....the drone shots really top it off.🙂👍👍

You should do a story on Osceola, MO up on Truman Lake. It has a TON of history. Jim Lane and the Kansas Jayhawkers attacked in September of 1861. This basically started the "Border Wars" between Kansas and Missouri. They have a history museum with tons of info and relics.

Like all the places you show

I remember all of those from my 2015 trip. So much history just sitting by the road waiting to tell it’s story. You did a great job of that today. The original pavement was the best piece by far.

We had to drive through there during bridge repair on highway 96. That poor small white dog is just chained up outside all the time. I never get to enjoy the view across the street because I am always hoping I will not see the dog but its always there. Great information on small towns I pass through and never knew much about them.

Grew up in Carthage, know this route well.

Thank you I live in Seligman Missouri every summer I take motorcycle rides all over the state looking at all the history. Next summer I’ll take your route thank you

I just subscribed awesome footage great videos brother love it if I can't go there in real life it's the next best thing it's like a grand World Tour

Really enjoy your videos!

The gas station in Albatross is no more. I remember filling up there. Thank you for the video. I've taken this road about a hundred times or so for work, going from Springfield to Carthage. Lots of history and little cool things.

This was such an awesome video, thank you! (from Australia!)

Interesting!

I live in the Ozarks & I have traveled most of The Mother Road, but not mid Missouri. Thanks to your fine video, I will drive up this summer or fall.

I grew up in Missouri and have taught Missouri history at the graduate level. I watched your RU-vid post about the dichotomy during the Civil War MissouriMissouri’s two opposing views. You are correct, here is a bit more history, concerning the climate of the state during the hostilities that pitted brother against brother. The The legislature redesigned the state seal. If you look closely at the circular portion of the seal, you will see, wrapped around the main part of crest that it is surrounded at the bottom is a belt buckle. The reason the belt buckle is, due to the divided state’s citizens, very much like today’s population division we are witnessing in America. Missouri Government leaders stated, “If we so determine to leave the Union, we will merely unbuckle the belt and drop from the connections to the North.” Just a piece of State’s history. I enjoy your work, please continue with the excellent work.

Grew up in north Missouri. Lots of tiny old towns

I live in Asbury MO., population 210 It’s east of Carthage a mile from Kansas as a crow flies. Lots of history here. It was a pretty good size town at one time. It even had a bank, school, and Chevy car dealership. Bill Doolan of the Dalton gang, robbed our bank because he thought the plan the Daltons had to rob 2 banks at the same time was a bad idea, so he robbed our bank instead. He was right to not rob the 2 banks, but he did get caught just outside Joplin.

I’m a Springfield resident and have been here since I was born! What an interesting video ☺️ I think we just had a big Route 66 festival not too long ago

Back in the 50s our family had a farm in SE Missouri between the towns of Lutesville and Advance. I remember Advance had a grocery store that was very old and looked like a general store on the inside. It smelled like old wood and dill pickles. They had a "town square" that was actually a circle. Luthesville was bigger and a little more modern. I thought Advance was fascinating! I love old towns, and Missouri sure has plenty.

one word, "AMAZING..?"

I lived in Plano in the 50's, I was told the big building on the north side of 66 there had been a casket factory. The rock building on the south side was a small store.

Nice video my friend

Ey up. As a Brit I had absolutely no idea what Missouri looks like. I never realized it was so flat. Interesting tour down Route 66 and the villages en route. They're not too different in some ways to the forgotten places of a similar age here (though petrol stations feature more!) And us Olde Englishe would spell plow as "plough" 😃

I drove from Ohio to Phx around Xmas 1968. Travelled good part on Rt 66. No I-44 back then!

I live in the Springfield area though originally from CA. Most of my family lives in Dade County MO so I'm on that highway all the time. I've seen the buildings but havent paid much attention. I definitely need to check out most of that area. They are so many small towns similar in all parts of Missouri.

I really enjoyed your trip video of ghost towns along route 66 in MO from Springfield. I lived in Springfield and moved to San Bernardino, I now live on route 66 not far from the Blue Cut.

I deliver propane and service telephone in halltown. Neat stuff. Both my bosses are born and raised. They have many stories about what it used to be like

Hello from Miller Mo. Right there at the Albatross intersection of 39 and 96 at the gas station use to be a little restaurant I use to go to as a kid. The bar next door was built by my grandfather and my family worked it before relocating to Stockton.

I was married 50 years ago in the little church in Avilla!

Thanks for pointing out local photo ops 👍

Some of the very Best Bull Head Cat Dish were caught at that Bridge in Sponsor, Mo.

I remember this with my Mom and Dad………it was a life time ago………

Great music!

This is awesome, I grew up traveling 66! My Great great grandparents lived at Spencer & Paris Sprngs. Great grandfather owned a as station across the side road from the Mason family's station which is still there "Gay Parita"!

OMG I lived in Strafford off I-44, exit 88! Route 66 was my street in Strafford, lol

Man, thanks for all this! I wish there were a fund to put good roofs on some of these buildings so that future generations might see them much like they were.

Driving from Wichita to Branson, maps has us bypassing the highway using Mo-96 and I see all these towns!

I remember all those little "towns" from the 1950s when we used to go from Springfield to Carthage to visit my dad's family. It was really Route 66 in those days. A major route across the states. I've never heard Yeakley pronounced the way you did. I've only heard it to rhyme with "Jake-ly". I have a grandmother, her parents and other assorted relatives buried in that cemetery. Thanks for the road trip.

We're heading out to do the entire Route 66 in September. This video has been very informative! Thank you!

The building in Plano would have been a Dry Goods of Mercantile (Store).

I like it that you kept in the be in the world but not of the world signs. Nice choice of music too.