Tucked in a corner of Lebanon-Laclede County Library lies a museum that has drawn international visitors to Lebanon and Laclede County.
The library’s free Route 66 Museum is operated by library staff and features artifacts and exhibits on local Route 66 heritage. Library staff also operate its accompanying gift shop, Kinderhook Treasures.
In a report provided by Assistant Library Director Erica Semsch on the museum’s 2024 statistics, 13,924 visitors from 52 countries, all fifty US states and the US territories of Navassa Island, Mariana Island and Puerto Rico toured the museum, with written feedback being “very complementary.”
Looking towards the future, Semsch, also the museum manager, said the library solidified a new museum budget for 2025 that is earmarked for maintenance as well as display upgrades and additions.
These improvements are done with an eye towards the Route 66 centennial in 2026. The library plans to continue collaborating with the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society in its development, whose members volunteer in the museum.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's LCR.
