Route 66 icon recognized as part of national project

LUTHER, Okla. (KFOR) — It was a safe haven during segregation for African American travelers. A civil rights landmark on Route 66 now has a marker that will last for generations, and KFOR was there at the unveiling at the Threatt Filling Station near Luther.

The monument stands tall atop a hill on Route 66. Those passing by Threatt's Filling Station will now be able to better recognize the significance of an icon along the highway.

"All I can do is think about what Grandpa was saying," Edward Threatt said. "Way back during his time, what we're doing right now wasn't possible. If a black man was on camera, it was probably something negative. There's nothing negative about what's going on here. Everything is positive."

The Threatt family legacy was here before the Mother Road got its name. It opened in 1915 as the first black owned filling station along Route 66. All were welcome, but it served as a safe haven between sundown towns, where African Americans weren't safe to stay after dark. They could go there to seek food, fuel, drinks, and even sometimes friendly faces.

"The future, I believe, is brighter than what the past has been," Threatt said.

The monument now joins several others across the country.

"It's a place to stop and get a window into a story," Director of the Route 66 Centennial Monument Project Brian Brown said. "We're connecting these stories, the stories of America's main street."

It's been about a decade of restoration for the building. KFOR's Galen Culver visited the family back in January.

"They saved the sandstone exterior and the graffiti scratched in over the years," Culver said at the time. "They built back the interior as well."

Despite some work still to go, the Threatts are all about celebrating progress and perseverance.

"We will have it finished one way or another," Threatt said.

The monument is one of eight along the Mother Road right now as part of the Route 66 Centennial Monument Project. Ten more monuments will be installed over the next 90 days, with about a dozen more planned for the future.

There's also a QR code on each monument that leads to a page about the history. The one at the station also allows you to donate to it.

For more on the national project, you can visit route66monuments.com.