Spencer is a small unincorporated crossroads in eastern Lawrence County, Missouri, United States.[1] It lies along former U.S. Route 66 (now a atate road) approximately six miles (10 km) west of Halltown.
A post office called Spencer was established in 1868, and remained in operation until 1907.[2] The community was named after a local merchant.[3]
By the 1910s, the road was in bad shape and the population dwindled. In 1925 Sydney Casey purchased property in Spencer as he knew that Route 66 would be aligned along the old stagecoach route. Casey built the buildings that are still standing there (barber shop, store, cafe and gas station) and catered to travelers. This lasted until 1961 when the old US 66 was realigned through Spencer bypassing it. [4]
Spencer is best known for Spencer Station, a series of joined buildings consisting of a historic Phillips 66 service station & garage, a diner, a barbershop and a general store. The general store was built in 1926 while the service station was built in 1927. In 1928, the 2 separate building were connected with the barber shop and diner.
Spencer Station is currently under restoration with the plans to open it up again as a Diner, Barbershop Museum and a General Store Museum with a gift shop.
References
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Spencer, Missouri
- ^ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ "Lawrence County Place Names, 1928–1945 (archived)". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Road Trip Journeys". Road Trip Journeys / Austin Whittall.
37°11′04″N 93°42′09″W / 37.18444°N 93.70250°W
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