Missouri Highway Department Donates Salvaged Balusters from Route 66 Bridge to the Powers Museum of Carthage, Missouri

Highway 66 bridge at eastern entrance to Carthage (now Missouri Highway 96) as it appeared in 1997.

Built in 1934 of Carthage limestone and concrete, this U. S. Highway 66 (now MO Highway 96) bridge spans the St. Louis & San Francisco (Frisco) Railroad and Missouri Pacific (MoPac) Railroad tracks east of Carthage. The limestone balusters were formed by a lathe by an unknown worker at Carthage Marble Corporation.

The light fixtures along the bridge were furnished and placed by the City of Carthage. Bridge footings were placed on solid, undisturbed rock. If soft rock or shale was encountered, the footings were driven 18 inches into the soft rock for support. Length of project was .401 mile. Today the bridge still serves near Kellogg Lake. As the balustrades are hit and damaged or dislodged, MODOT is encasing partial sections in concrete covering the limestone.

For information on the Powers Museum's Kellogg Lake and Carthage Sportsmen's Protective League archival collection, click here.

To see more about the local limestone industry, consult the museum's Riches from the Earth digital project hosted by Missouri Digital Heritage. Included in this project is a photograph of the bridge pictured above shortly after its construction.  The historic image can be viewed at this link. The same image is also included in the museum's Images of America: Carthage, Missouri book published by Arcadia Publishing (page 99). To order book, refer to this page.

2002 Powers Museum Board President, George Boyd, Jr., accepts group of Carthage stone balusters from Richard Walter, fomer MODOT District Engineer. These were salvaged after the bridge was damaged when a bus crashed into the structure.  A selected number of these bridge parts can be seen on display at the museum in the lobby along with reproductions of the construction drawings.

Beyond the Bridge: Route 66 on the Eastside of Carthage, Missouri

The original alignment of 66 wandered along Spring River and came into Carthage via an extension of River Street that connected with an older bridge that no longer remains. Coming down River Street, drivers could continue south on River Street to the Carthage Tourist Park (now known as Carter Park) if they needed to stop for the night.  If the motorist was continuing on their trip, they turned west at River and Central  intersection and traveled along Central Avenue until Garrison Avenue.  At Garrison, drivers turned south and went a few blocks to Oak Street which took them through the western half of Carthage and on to Morgan Heights, Brooklyn Heights, Lakeside, Carterville, Webb City and Joplin before entering Kansas.

In 1927, businesses along  this stretch of Central included (still a mostly residential street):

#839 East Central Avenue - Pioneer Oil,  #700 A. F. Pancot Grocery, #309 Perkins Poultry, #305 Wentworth Waters Restaurant, #301 J. E. Pace Grocery, #201 E. M. Wilhoit Oil Gas Station, #155 Mrs. Clara C. Beard City Scales, # 133 Carthage Farmers Exchange Feed Mill, #132 R. A. Larabee Blacksmith, #131 Joplin Oil & Gas, #122 Hubb's Auto Top & Harness Shop along with A. R. Brent's battery shop.

At the intersection of Main Street, East Central met West Central Avenue.  In 1927, R & S Motor Sales (Chevrolet Sales & Service) was located at the northeast corner of Main and Central (but the business address was 100 N. Main).  Brown Shoe Company had vacated their factory at 100 S. Main at the southeast corner. By 1929, H. E. Williams Products Company occupied this factory building. On the opposite corner (sw corner) was the Arlington Hotel (103 S. Main) while across the street at the northwest corner, Home Lumber Company was located (103 N. Main).  On the northeast corner, the lots that continued west on Central to Garrison Avenue, were residential at this point except at Maple Street (southeast corner) where the old First Baptist Church was located.

The northside of Garrison and West Central were house lots but the southwest and southeast corners were filling stations (E. M. Wilhoit Oil and Standard Oil, respectively).

Other decades to come later this fall. 

Garrison Avenue addresses can be found on this page.

</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></p> <p align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Oak Street addresses can be found on this page.</span></span></p> <p align="left">