Art & History
April 30-May 2
Route 66 Centennial Traveling Exhibit
Celebrating the rich legacy of the Mother Road, the Route 66 Centennial Traveling Pop-Up Exhibit marks two milestones: 100 years of Route 66 and 250 years of the United States. The exhibit invites visitors to explore the enduring spirit of America’s Main Street, a road that has drawn travelers from around the world and holds countless stories waiting to be uncovered.
Sponsored by the Missouri Route 66 Centennial Commission, the Route 66 Centennial Traveling Exhibit will appear in communities across Missouri including Jefferson City, Lebanon, Springfield, Cuba, Pacific and Red Oak II during the Centennial year, offering visitors photographs, stories, and interpretive content drawn from archives, museums, and Route 66 partners.
History Museum on the Square
Located on the original path of Route 66 in historic Park Central Square, the History Museum on the Square invites visitors to experience Springfield’s story through hands-on exhibits and immersive galleries that capture the imagination of all ages. Learn how Springfield became the Birthplace of Route 66 and explore the road’s lasting impact through authentic artifacts and engaging storytelling. Guided by our mission of “Strengthening our community’s future by sharing our past,” we connect yesterday’s stories to today’s community.
Springfield 66: Centennial Sculpture Series
This public art initiative celebrates the the 100th anniversary of Route 66 right here in its birthplace! Bold, colorful landmarks invite residents and visitors on a creative road trip through Springfield’s rich history, vibrant culture, and boundless imagination, honoring the legacy of the Mother Road in a uniquely local way.
Route 66 sculptures are being placed in various locations throughout the city, each uniquely designed by different artists. These pieces tell diverse stories, bringing communities together to explore and engage with them. The sculptures serve as a visual representation of artistic creativity, with final designs that may vary slightly in form.
The program features up to 66 oversized (approx. 5-foot tall) Route 66 shield sculptures designed by local artists, forming a self-guided trail across the Ozarks region to boost tourism and highlight local history.
First Friday Art Walk
Visit the Downtown Arts District on First Friday to enjoy original art, live music, hands-on activities and live art demonstrations in more than 20 participating galleries, as well as fine and casual dining, cutting-edge fashion, one-of-a-kind retail and vibrant nightlife throughout the historic heart of Springfield.
Artsfest
Get ready for a weekend of art, music, and memories!
Artsfest, presented by Great Southern Bank, transforms Historic Walnut Street of Downtown Springfield into a creative playground with 100+ artists, hands-on activities, live art demos, local shopping, and delicious eats from your favorite food trucks.
Admission is only $5 (and free for little ones 5 and under)!
June 3-August 29, 2026
The mOTHER Road…
The Stories of African-Americans on Route 66
The mOTHER Road…The Stories of African-Americans on Route 66” is a planned exhibit to be located in the newly created museum space at the recently renovated Benton Avenue AME church on the Drury University campus. Located in the historic church which was once pastored by Rev. Oliver L. Brown lead plaintiff from the Brown vs. Board of Education court decision; the building will now function as a Civil Rights education center and museum space.
This will be the first exhibit and coincides with the centennial celebration of Route 66 for Springfield, MO and the nation.
The exhibit will consist of multiple components including banners, media and artifacts from Ms. Alberta’s Hotel which was featured in the Green Book and is one of the African-American trail sites in town. The media exhibit features clips from residents who share their experiences traversing Route 66 primarily during the 20thcentury. Markers from the Springfield Greene County African-American Heritage Trail that contain Route 66 History and the important Green Book are also a part of the exhibit.
We will also feature the Trail markers which have tie in to Route 66….there are three of them and references to the Green Book and the locations in our city.
As the centennial of Route 66 approaches, public attention has returned to what is often celebrated as one of the most powerful symbols of U.S. culture: the open road. Since its designation in 1926, Route 66 has occupied a privileged place in the national imagination as a corridor of freedom, mobility, and possibility, popularized through literature, music, and tourism. Centennial commemorations, museum exhibits, and heritage initiatives largely reproduce this familiar story, emphasizing westward movement, automobility, and mid-twentieth-century nostalgia. Yet this symbolic framing depends on selective memory. The dominant narrative of Route 66 foregrounds leisure, choice, and opportunity while often not including the experiences of African American travelers, workers, and communities for whom mobility along the road was constrained, segregated lodging and eating establishments, and unevenly accessible.
The aim of this exhibit is to bring attention to additional narratives of Route 66 as lived social terrain. While recent scholarship has documented segregation, sundown towns, and the critical role of the Negro Motorist Green Book at a national scale, far less is known about how these dynamics unfolded in specific local contexts. This absence is especially striking given that Route 66 did not merely pass through communities but reshaped their economic, spatial, and social arrangements. The road’s celebrated promise of connection and prosperity coexisted with systems of racial exclusion that structured who could travel safely, where one could stop, and whose labor sustained roadside economies. Recovering these histories requires moving beyond generalized accounts and toward localized, primary source–driven inquiry.
Springfield, Missouri holds a particular significance in this story: it is where Route 66 was officially designated in 1926, anchored at the city’s central square. At the turn of the twentieth century, Springfield was home to a substantial Black population with deep roots in the city’s commercial and civic life, including business owners, property holders, and community institutions concentrated in Midtown and North Springfield. These local histories shaped how African American residents experienced the arrival and operation of Route 66 as a space layered onto an already racialized city and not as a neutral transportation corridor.
The exhibit celebrates and commemorates these important chapters of Springfield history as our nation and our city celebrate 100 years of “the mOTHER Road!”
Connecting History Across Tracks
Jefferson Avenue Footbridge
The Jefferson Avenue Footbridge, built in 1902, carries more weight than mere steel. This 562-foot historic truss bridge spans a railroad yard, connecting neighborhoods north and south — a bridge of commerce, community, and continuity.
Originally rehabilitated in the early 2000s, the footbridge was closed in 2016 for safety reasons. But its restoration and rededication now—aligned with Route 66’s Centennial and America’s 250th Birthday—are deeply symbolic. Just as the road united distant cities, this bridge unites parts of Springfield, weaving Route 66’s spirit of connection into the fabric of daily life. The footbridge stands as a testament to perseverance, reinvention, and the city’s commitment to preserving its heritage while building toward tomorrow.
A Grand Entry for Road Trippers
College Street Corridor
Positioned along the western stretch of historic Route 66, the College Street Corridor offers more than markers — it offers a drive down memory lane into Springfield for those traveling the Mother Road. Springfield’s College Street Corridor is one of the most authentically preserved stretches of Route 66 in town—a place where the spirit of the Mother Road is not only remembered, but still lived every day.
Here, history isn’t curated behind velvet ropes—it’s woven into the businesses, architecture, and people who’ve called this road home for generations. The corridor features iconic stops like the beautifully restored Rockwood Motor Court, the eclectic and beloved Route 66 Car Museum, and Springfield’s own Birthplace of Route 66 Roadside Park, honoring the very place where the road received its name in 1926. The surrounding West Central Neighborhood, with its deep roots and passionate residents, has long been a driving force in preserving this authentic streetscape and safeguarding its character.
Anchoring the district are two modern success stories that keep the road’s entrepreneurial spirit alive: Bud’s Tire & Wheel, a longstanding west-side institution, and Mother’s Brewing Company, an acclaimed craft brewery that transformed a historic bread factory into one of Springfield’s most popular gathering places.
The City of Springfield has invested in the corridor’s future with redevelopment incentives, public art, and place-making installations—including the striking sculpture at Broadway and College—and by hosting the annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival, which originated in the neighborhood and continues to draw tens of thousands of visitors to Springfield each August. Soon, the west end of the corridor will feature a Springfield 66 small sculpture, one of 66 sculptures citywide commemorating the Mother Road’s centennial and celebrating Springfield’s identity as its birthplace.
Together, these landmarks, businesses, and community champions make the College Street Corridor more than a historic district—it’s a living tribute to the road that shaped America, and to the city that gave Route 66 its name.
