Oral History – Stewards of Route 66 | Springfield, Illinois | Visit Springfield

  • November 15, 2024
  •      
  • Evan Stern

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Springfield’s Stewards of 66

Among many titles, Route 66 has been hailed as “The Main Street of America.” Immortalized in literature, song and Hollywood its name alone is mythic and calls to mind images of drive-ins, muffler men and tail fins. But while nostalgia is an important component of 66’s endurance, its much hyped mid-century “Golden Age” simply constitutes one chapter in its ongoing narrative. More than this, the Route remains very much alive and its heart and soul is found not in its neon or shield signs, but in the small business owners, diner waitresses, museum volunteers, innkeepers and fine people who continue to live and work along it today. 

With each passing generation, however, the stories and memories of these custodians risk extinction. This represents an underreported loss as personal recollections often provide fuller and more intimate portraits of our past than what’s written in history books. They reflect the personal consequences of change and at times even have the power to contribute perspectives that illuminate or simply humanize details missing from official records. 

This project represents an effort to conserve a few of these irreplaceable legacies that presently line the Route in Springfield, Illinois. Featuring interviews with subjects ranging in age from fourteen to ninety-five, all represent different professions and life experiences. Yet all share connections to this important stretch of 66, have witnessed its evolutions and continue to shape its future.



Through sharing this project, we invite listeners to explore Route 66 in Springfield through the voices of its citizens. More than a noble exercise in preservation, it is our hope that highlighting these stories may inspire others to travel the Route and create new memories of their own. While simple in nature, we are of firm mind that efforts like these are crucial for maintaining interest in and building a tomorrow for this road which remains a connective tissue for our nation as a whole.