Route 66 Museum at Lebanon-Laclede County Library

The Route 66 Museum's collection traces primarily to Russell Hammons, a Lebanon native who spent roughly five decades — from the 1950s through the early 2000s — collecting Route 66 artifacts from across the corridor with particular emphasis on the Missouri stretch and on Lebanon-area properties. Hammons was an active highway-history enthusiast long before the Route 66 preservation movement crystallized into its current form in the 1990s and 2000s; his collection was assembled in an era when many original artifacts were being discarded as worthless rather than preserved as historically significant.

When Hammons passed away in the early 2000s, his family donated the collection to the Lebanon-Laclede County Library — a decision that allowed the artifacts to remain in Lebanon (rather than being absorbed into a larger out-of-state institution) while ensuring permanent professional stewardship. The library's existing role as a community archive made it a natural institutional home for the collection. The early-2000s library expansion that produced the current building included dedicated exhibit space designed around the Hammons artifacts.

Subsequent donations from other Lebanon-area families and Route 66 enthusiasts have substantially expanded the collection across the past two decades. Notable additions have included business records and photographs from the Munger Moss Motel (Hudson family donations), original signage from defunct Lebanon Route 66 businesses, and Centennial-era acquisitions ahead of 2026. The library accepts ongoing donations of Route 66 artifacts from the public and operates a low-key but active acquisitions program.

The main exhibit area is organized around the chronological development of Route 66 with particular emphasis on the Missouri and Lebanon-specific story. The opening section covers the 1926 naming of Route 66 and the highway's role as one of the original components of the U.S. Numbered Highway System — including original copies of the federal documents from the 1926 highway designation and reproductions of the early 1920s state-level Missouri highway maps that preceded the federal numbering.

The middle sections cover the highway's commercial peak from the 1930s through the 1960s. Original artifacts on display include vintage gas-station signage, motor-court registration cards and room keys, original 1940s-1960s tourist brochures and postcards from Lebanon-area businesses, hand-painted commercial signage from defunct local restaurants and shops, and large-format archival photographs of Lebanon's Route 66 commercial strip at multiple points across the highway's heyday. The Munger Moss-specific section is unusually detailed thanks to the Hudson family's ongoing partnership with the museum.

The closing sections cover the highway's decommissioning in the 1970s and 1980s — the rise of I-44 and the federal Interstate system, the gradual closure of small-town Route 66 businesses, and the rebirth of Route 66 as a heritage tourism corridor beginning in the 1990s. The 2026 Centennial exhibit is a rotating temporary feature that has been expanding through the mid-2020s with new artifacts and interpretation as the Centennial approaches. There's also a small but well-stocked gift shop with books, postcards, prints, and the kind of locally-produced Route 66 memorabilia that's worth more than the standard mass-market tourist merchandise.

Because the museum is housed inside a working public library rather than as a standalone facility, visitors get access to the full range of library amenities — clean public restrooms, free Wi-Fi, comfortable seating, water fountains, and air conditioning. The library is fully ADA-accessible with level entrances and an internal elevator. For Route 66 travelers, the combination of museum content and library amenities makes the stop an unusually practical midday rest break in addition to its historical interest.

Researchers and serious Route 66 enthusiasts can request access to the library's full archive of Route 66 photographs, business records, and printed materials — much of which is not on permanent display in the museum exhibit area but is preserved in climate-controlled archive storage. Access is by appointment with the library's reference staff; serious researchers should email or call ahead by a few days to arrange a visit and specify the materials of interest.

The library also serves as the de facto Lebanon visitor-information point during the museum's hours. Library staff and volunteer docents can answer questions about Lebanon-area attractions, dining, accommodations, and onward Route 66 driving routes. They keep a stocked rack of free local tourism brochures and printed maps near the museum entrance, and they're notably patient and knowledgeable with the steady trickle of Route 66 travelers who stop in.

The museum is open during library hours — generally Monday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm, with some variation depending on the day and the season. The library is closed Sundays and most major holidays. The library's standard hours are slightly longer than the museum's typical staffed-docent hours, so an early-morning or late-afternoon visit may find the exhibit accessible but without a docent on duty. Confirming current hours by phone before a planned visit is the safest approach, especially for travelers building a tight schedule.

Parking is freely available in the library's own parking lot directly adjacent to the building, with overflow on-street parking on South Jefferson Avenue. The lot is large enough that visitors should never struggle to park, even during Route 66 peak season. The building is on the south side of downtown Lebanon, about a half-mile south of the historic Route 66 alignment and roughly a 5-minute drive from the Munger Moss Motel on the east side of town.

Plan a 45-to-60-minute visit for a focused tour of the exhibit, or up to 90 minutes if you want to spend time in the gift shop, browse the broader library, or chat with docents. Families with kids generally find 30-to-45 minutes is the sustained-attention limit; the exhibit is reasonably kid-friendly but is text-heavy enough that younger children will lose interest after a while. The library has a substantial children's section that can serve as a parallel destination if needed.

The natural Lebanon day plan integrates the Route 66 Museum with the Munger Moss Motel and Wrink's Market for a focused half-day or full-day Lebanon visit. The standard sequence: arrive in Lebanon by late morning, stop at the Munger Moss sign for daylight photography (15 minutes), drive to the library for a 45-to-60-minute museum visit, have lunch at Wrink's Market (45 minutes), spend the afternoon at Bennett Spring State Park if interested in the outdoor side of Lebanon, and return to the Munger Moss at twilight for the iconic neon photography. The full Lebanon day produces a notably richer Route 66 experience than the standard quick drive-through.

For travelers on tighter schedules, the museum-plus-Munger-Moss combination is the minimum viable Lebanon stop: roughly 90 minutes total including the drive between the two sites and a quick photo at the sign. This compressed version is enough to provide genuine historical context for the surrounding Lebanon corridor without requiring an overnight.

Looking beyond Lebanon, the museum's Centennial exhibits provide useful framing for the broader 2026 Route 66 Centennial that will be celebrated across all eight Route 66 states throughout 2026. Lebanon's library museum is one of several smaller-town Route 66 museums between Springfield (50 miles west) and the larger Route 66 institutions further east toward St. Louis. The library museum's free admission and high-quality content make it one of the best value stops in the entire Missouri Route 66 corridor.