Boots Court Motel: Sleeping in Route 66 History in Carthage, MO
Where Is the Boots Court Motel?
Address: 107 S. Garrison Avenue, Carthage, MO 64836
Phone: Check bootscourt66.com for current contact information
Website: bootscourt66.com
Rooms: 13 rooms total across the original 1939 building and 1946 annex (Room 13 was intentionally skipped in the original numbering and named Room 14 — a period superstition)
Notable Room: Room 10 — the Clark Gable room, where Gable signed autographs in 1947
Rates: Verify current nightly rates at bootscourt66.com — book well in advance for peak Route 66 season (May–September)
[AFFILIATE LINK: Booking.com — Boots Court Motel Carthage MO and nearby Route 66 lodging in Carthage]
Driving Context: The Boots Court sits at the intersection of Route 66 (Garrison Avenue) and the Jefferson Highway (Missouri Route 96) in downtown Carthage, approximately 13 miles east of Joplin and 60 miles west of Springfield on the Route 66 / I-44 corridor. From I-49, take the Carthage exit and follow Garrison Avenue north into downtown. The motel is approximately 4 miles from I-49.
Visitor Center: The adjacent restored Sinclair gas station now serves as the Boots Court Visitor Center, a Route 66 and Jefferson Highway information hub with a souvenir shop featuring work from 21 local artists
The History of the Boots Court Motel
Arthur Boots Builds at the Crossroads (1939)
Arthur Boots opened a Red Horse filling station at the intersection of Route 66 and the Jefferson Highway in Carthage before deciding the site warranted a proper motor court. In 1939, Arthur and his wife Ilda opened the Boots Court on the same corner: eight rooms in the Streamline Moderne architectural style, with walls and roofline accented in black Carrara glass and green neon. Each room included a covered carport — an unusual feature for a 1939 motor court. The nightly rate was $2.50.
Arthur’s innovation was the slogan ‘Radio in Every Room.’ At a time when radio was still the primary home entertainment medium and travelers rarely expected it in lodging, advertising an in-room radio was a genuine selling point aimed at attracting a respectable, paying clientele. The motel’s filling station served as the front office until it was converted solely to check-in use. The location — at the literal crossroads of the two most important highways of the era — made the Boots Court visible to every traveler entering or leaving Carthage from any direction.
The Celebrity Years (1940s–1950s)
In 1942, Arthur and Ilda sold the Boots Court to Ples and Grace Neeley. Clark Gable — traveling cross-country from his native Ohio — stopped at the Boots Court and stayed in Room 6. He returned in 1947 and stayed in Room 10, signing autographs for guests during that visit. Room 10 has been known as the Clark Gable room ever since. Other celebrities documented as guests or diners at Arthur’s adjacent Boots Drive-In include Gene Autry, Smiley Burnett, Guy Lombardo, and Mickey Mantle.
The Neeleys expanded the motel in 1946 by five rooms, including four double queen rooms built at the rear of the complex with carport parking beneath the rooms and upper-level access by stairs. In keeping with the superstitions of the period, the room that would have been Room 13 was numbered 14 instead — the motel officially has 13 rooms but no Room 13. The first television stations in the Joplin-Springfield market signed on in 1953; the motel promptly added television and air conditioning to its list of advertised amenities, making it one of the first motels in the area to offer both.
Professional wrestler Ruben Asplin and his wife Rachel purchased the motel in the 1950s and operated it until Rachel’s death in 1991. During the Asplin era the name was changed from Boots Court to Boots Motel and a gabled roof was installed over the original flat roof — an architectural change that would later need to be reversed as a condition of National Register eligibility.
Decline, the Walgreens Near-Miss, and the Endangered List (2003–2011)
After a succession of owners following Rachel Asplin’s death, the property deteriorated. In 2003, the motel’s then-owner sold it to a local developer with plans to demolish the building and replace it with a Walgreens pharmacy. The Route 66 Association of Missouri, Friends of the Mother Road, and other preservation advocates mounted a public campaign against the demolition. The developer withdrew. The motel was instead purchased by Vince Scott and operated as monthly single-room low-income housing — unavailable to Route 66 travelers, slowly deteriorating, and stripped of the neon that had once defined its facade.
By 2011, the situation was serious. The Society for Commercial Archaeology listed the Boots Court among the ten most endangered roadside attractions in America. The Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation named it one of the state’s most endangered buildings. The gabled Asplin-era roof sagged. The original architectural neon was gone. Vandals had taken signs.
Restoration by the Boots Court Foundation (2011–2023)
Two local couples purchased the deteriorated property in 2011 and reopened the first five rooms — in the 1946 annex — to Route 66 travelers in May 2012. Among the early restoration decisions: remove the gabled Asplin-era roof and restore the original flat roofline (a prerequisite for National Register eligibility), rebuild the architectural neon with original-technique gas-and-glass neon tubing, and return the sign to the original Boots Court name (restored in 2013 by the original sign maker).
In 2012, Bob Boots — the 82-year-old son of the original owners — traveled from Tulsa to Carthage as the first guest of the restored motel, paying the 1939 rate of $2.50 in 1939 currency. A federal matching grant from the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program funded part of the neon restoration in 2016.
The Boots Court Foundation, established as a federally certified nonprofit, purchased the property and launched the full restoration in 2021. The National Park Service approved the National Register of Historic Places listing on September 26, 2022. The last of the 13 historically restored rooms opened on February 17, 2023. The adjacent Sinclair gas station — which Arthur Boots originally used as the motel’s front office — was subsequently restored as the Boots Court Visitor Center, opening in late 2023.
Video Cameras for Route 66 Travel
Clark Gable and the Celebrity Connection
The motel’s celebrity register also includes Gene Autry, Smiley Burnett (Autry’s frequent film sidekick), Mickey Mantle, and Guy Lombardo — a roster consistent with the Boots Court’s peak years in the late 1940s and 1950s, when Carthage sat at the intersection of two of America’s most heavily traveled highways. The 28-foot mural on the motel’s exterior now features Clark Gable’s face alongside the Route 66 shield, a Sinclair dinosaur, and the original ‘Radio in Every Room’ slogan.
What to Expect When You Stay
The Rooms
The 13 rooms reflect the 1940s aesthetic that the restoration deliberately preserved: real metal keys (no key cards), chenille bedspreads, monogrammed towels, built-in dressers, chrome light fixtures, and a radio tuned to a station playing 1940s music. Modern necessities — air conditioning, updated bathrooms — have been integrated without disrupting the period aesthetic. Each room in the original 1939 building retains its covered carport, the feature Arthur Boots used to differentiate his motel from competitors.
Room 10 — the Clark Gable room — is the most requested and typically books first. Guests who stay there have reportedly had unusual experiences: the manager has described seeing shadowy figures and hearing unexplained sounds. The motel also has an original underground tunnel that Arthur Boots dug to channel cool air through the building (it didn’t function as planned), now accessible as an atmospheric piece of the property’s history, lined with Carthage stone and marble.
Honest caveat: these are 1939 motor court rooms — they are compact, the walls are thin, and the experience is genuine vintage rather than boutique-hotel-grade vintage. That is precisely the point and precisely what the guests who book here are seeking. Tour groups from France, Italy, Australia, and Germany regularly rent the entire building — 90% of the motel’s guests are Route 66 travelers.
The Visitor Center
The adjacent restored Sinclair gas station — the original Boots Court filling station — now functions as the Boots Court Visitor Center and souvenir shop, featuring handcrafted goods and memorabilia from 21 local artists and vendors. It serves as a dual Route 66 and Jefferson Highway information hub and has been designated an official Jefferson Highway Tourist Center.
Best Time to Visit and Photography Tips
The Boots Court is at its most atmospheric after dark, when the green neon sign illuminates the black Carrara glass accents and the curved Streamline Moderne roofline is visible against the night sky. The motel is busiest in peak Route 66 season (May through September) — book as early as possible for summer weekends. The Carthage area is accessible year-round; fall is particularly scenic in the Missouri Ozarks.
- The neon sign at night is the essential photograph. Position yourself from across Garrison Avenue with the sign centered in the frame and the curved roofline visible — shoot after full dark when the green neon against the black glass creates the strongest contrast.
- The 28-foot exterior mural featuring Clark Gable’s face photographs best in flat morning light, which prevents glare on the painted surface. Shoot straight-on from across the parking lot to capture the full mural width.
- The covered carports beside the original 1939 rooms are a distinctive architectural detail that reads well in a wide shot from the far end of the parking lot — include both the carport canopy and the room doors in the frame to capture the mid-century motor court layout in a single image.
- Digital Cameras for Photography
Route 66 Travel Gear and Wall Decor
Tips for Staying at the Boots Court Motel
- Book well in advance — particularly for Room 10 (the Clark Gable room) and for any weekend in peak season (May–September). The motel books quickly, especially for Route 66 tour groups who reserve entire properties.
- Verify current rates and availability directly at bootscourt66.com. The Boots Court does not typically appear on standard hotel aggregator sites.
- The Visitor Center in the adjacent Sinclair station is worth exploring even if you’re not staying overnight — it’s free to enter and well-stocked with Route 66 and Carthage-specific merchandise from local artisans.
- The underground tunnel beneath the motel is accessible during stays — ask at check-in. It is lined with Carthage stone and marble and is genuinely atmospheric.
- Parking is in the original covered carport beside your room — one of the features that set the Boots Court apart from competitors in 1939 and still functions as designed.
- Accessibility: the original 1939 rooms are ground-floor with carport access. The 1946 annex rooms are upstairs. Contact the motel in advance to discuss specific accessibility needs and room placement.
Route 66 Postcards
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Clark Gable really stay at the Boots Court Motel?
Yes. The Boots Court’s own documented timeline confirms Clark Gable stayed in Room 6 in 1942 and returned to stay in Room 10 in 1947, signing autographs for other guests during his second visit. Gable traveled cross-country from Ohio during this period, and the Boots Court’s position at the Route 66 and Jefferson Highway crossroads made it a logical stop. Room 10 has been called the Clark Gable room since the 1947 visit.
Is the Boots Court Motel on the National Register of Historic Places?
Yes. The Boots Court was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 2022, after the Boots Court Foundation completed a full restoration of the property. The adjacent Sinclair gas station has also been restored and now functions as the Boots Court Visitor Center.
What are the rooms like at the Boots Court Motel?
The 13 rooms are restored to a 1940s aesthetic: real metal keys, chenille bedspreads, monogrammed towels, built-in dressers, chrome light fixtures, and a radio tuned to 1940s music. Modern air conditioning and updated bathrooms have been integrated. Each original room has a covered carport — a feature from 1939 that still functions as designed. The rooms are compact by modern standards; this is a genuine vintage motor court experience rather than a boutique hotel interpretation of one.
How close to being demolished was the Boots Court?
Very close. In 2003, the then-owner sold the property to a developer with plans to raze it for a Walgreens pharmacy. A preservation campaign by the Route 66 Association of Missouri and other advocates stopped the demolition. By 2011, the motel had been listed among the ten most endangered roadside attractions in America by the Society for Commercial Archaeology. The Boots Court Foundation purchased and restored the property beginning in 2021.
Why does the Boots Court not have a Room 13?
The 1946 annex expansion was built following the superstitions common in the period: the room that would have been numbered 13 was instead numbered 14. The motel has 13 rooms in total, but they are numbered so that no Room 13 exists — a practice common enough in mid-century American hospitality that it appears in everything from motels to hotel elevator panels.
Final Thoughts on the Boots Court Motel
The Boots Court is what Route 66 preservation looks like when it works. Not a recreation, not a themed hotel inspired by a vintage motel, but the actual building — the actual Carrara glass, the actual neon tube gas-and-glass signage, the actual covered carports — that Route 66 travelers used in 1939 and that Clark Gable slept in during the highway’s golden era. The Walgreens that almost replaced it is a reminder of how close Missouri came to losing it.
Boots Court Image Gallery
Nearby Route 66 Highlights
- Jasper County Courthouse, Carthage — 3 blocks north — an 1894 Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse built from Carthage stone, one of the finest county courthouses in Missouri and the anchor of a beautifully preserved downtown square.
- Red Oak II — 4 miles northeast — artist Lowell Davis’s full-scale recreation of the Missouri town of Red Oak, relocated building by building to private land, a genuinely surreal and charming Route 66 side trip.
- Route 66 Drive-In Theater in Carthage, MO.
