Boots Court: Boots Court Motel sits near downtown Carthage, Mo. on Route 66 and Highway 71. Built in the 1930s and opening in 1939, the motel became a popular stopping point for travelers on both routes. The entrance was inviting with the outdoor chairs by the door for visitors to linger and stay awhile. Today, all rooms have been restored to their original settings and furnishings and the building has been remodeled from top to bottom. Although a little hard to see in the photo, the round disc sign hanging from the Boots Court sign promises a radio in every room, a luxury in 1939! The motel has carried on that tradition even today! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Interior: The rooms at Boots Court were Single Queen and Double Queen. Shown is one of the Double Queen rooms as one would check into today. The rooms are almost identical to their 1939 look, which included hardwood floors, nice period furnishings, and a radio in every room! The renovation work allows visitors today to check into a room much like the early days of the motel. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
An ongoing photo project that I work on when possible is Route 66. John Steinbeck called the route “The Mother Road” in his classic book “The Grapes of Wrath”. Other names include “America’s Main Street”. However, you may think of the highway – it is a true American treasure.
There are many towns along the route in each of the eight states it passed through between Chicago, Ill. and Los Angeles, Calif. and many have retained and grown their association with Route 66. Some have died and are now ghost towns and others are somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.
One town that we passed through on our current journey is Carthage, Miss. This quaint town of about 15,000 sits between Joplin, Mo., and the state capital of Springfield, Mo. The city has one of the most photographed buildings in the state, which sits right in the center of downtown, the Jasper County Courthouse. The courthouse was built in 1894-1895 constructed with local stone and is probably the most stately county courthouse that I have ever seen.
A couple of Route 66 icons are located in Carthage, the Route 66 Drive In movie complex, which is still in operation and the Boots Court Motel. The motel captured my interest because it has been through several owners and modifications but has been renovated to look just like the 1939 version (with an air conditioner unit added).
The motel was built by Arthur Boots in 1939, hence the name Boots Court Motel. Boots wanted an upscale motor lodge motel to service travelers on Route 66 and U.S. Highway 71. Boots built an art-deco and streamline modern motel that even included a garage space by each room.He also advertised that there would be a radio in every room. He charged an exorbitant rate of $2.50 per night but travelers paid the price and the motel thrived. Shortly after opening the first four rooms, Boots built four more units attached to the original building.
Boots sold the motel in the 1940s and the motel continued to be successful. However, following other sales transactions through different owners the hotel fell on hard times in the 1990s.
By the early 2000s, the motel was in sad shape and was in jeopardy of being demolished. However, it was purchased by two sisters from out of state in 2011 and they did an admirable job of saving the landmark and bringing the motel back to life. They remodeled some of the rooms and made huge steps to restore the motel. However, everything has a season and they chose to sell and move on in 2021.
When the establishment went on the market in 2021 a group of seven local residents banded together and formed the Boots Court Foundation and purchased the motel. Today all 13 rooms of the motel have been renovated to their original 1939 look except an added air conditioner unit in each room and some safety upgrades. The rooms are pristine and clean and they do indeed still have a radio in every room, but no TV!
In 2024, the Foundation made the decision to restore the green neon lighting on the sign and the exterior of the building. They also purchased a 1950-60s era service station which sat next to the motel and remodeled that building to serve as a visitor information center as well as the motel’s check in location.
When we visited the person at the information center told us all about the motel and offered to let us tour a couple of rooms as well as the original motel office. There was obviously a lot of pride in what had been accomplished, especially the fact that this historic motel was again shining and was the star attraction of Route 66 in Carthage, Mo.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Visitors Center: The Boots Court Foundation, who now own the motel purchased this 1950-60s era gas station next door to Boots Motel in 2024. They have renovated the former gas station into a visitors center as well as the check-in point for the motel. The space where the service bays once existed is now filled with Carthage and Route 66 shirts, souvenirs, etc. The office portion of the building is the new motel office and check-out station for purchases in the welcome center. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
66 Drive-In Theatre: The drive-in theater is still in operation today serving locals and Route 66 travelers who are looking for a nostalgic evening while in town. The theatre is one of about four or five drive-in theaters still in operation along Route 66. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Courthouse: The Jasper County Courthouse sits in the middle of downtown Carthage on the town square. This massive courthouse is one of the most stately and ornate county buildings that I have ever seen. The beautiful structure is one of the most photographed buildings in the state. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Exterior: The sunset provided excellent atmospherics the evening that I photographed the Boots Motel exteriors. Shown is a final look at the motel’s remodeled and refinished exterior and the green neon tubes, which were all replaced in 2024. A close look at the front building reveals the four original rooms, complete with an attached garage. There are four more units and garages on the opposite side of the building. The wing in the rear of the property was added in 1946, shortly after Arthur Boots sold the motel he created. Notable visitors at the motel include Clark Gable, Gene Autry, Mickey Mantle, and Guy Lombardo. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com