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Warwick and
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[HOME] [WESTERN AMERICANA GALLERY] [ROUTE 66 HOME] [ROUTE 66 WEST] [ROUTE 66 EAST]
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Warwick and
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Chandler Merimec BarnAbout 3 miles from Chandler going west you will come across this old barn painted with the Meramec Caverns sign. There was a time during the hey-day of Route 66 that these famous Merimec Caverns signs once graced barns throughout the countryside along Route 66. This was a major marketing ploy that turned the Merimec Caverns in Stanton, Missouri into a sought out Route 66 destination. This barn is the only one left in Oklahoma now, but the Merimec Caverns are still open and going strong. |
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| Seaba Station is a true Route 66 success story! In 1924, two years before Route 66 would be certified, the Seaba Station was built. This business was the dream of John and Alice Seaba. The Seaba Station, as it became known, operated on this stretch of Route 66 as a garage and NevrNox filling station. In the thirties John Seaba installed the machinery and equipment needed to repair automobile connecting rods. He was successful at this new business venture and soon the Seaba Filling Station became Seaba Manufacturing Company. During World War Two the company held contracts with the U.S. Government to rebuild connecting rods for government vehicles. | ||||
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Sue Preston and me outside Seaba Station. Sue is a true ambassador of the Mother Road. If you are in the area stop by and say hi. |
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In 1951 John Seaba sold the business to Victor and June Briggs. When Victor was killed in a small aircraft accident June ran the business herself. Despite the prejudices associated with a woman running a business in such a male oriented area, the business thrived. In the 1960s June was recognized by "Motor Trend" and "Hot Rod" magazine. In 1987 June sold the business and building to a father and son team who ran the business for seven more years. Then in 1995 Sonny and Sue Preston bought the building, which had been listed on the Register of Historic Places. The building needed extensive restoration. Sonny and Sue were up to the task. | |||
| They worked nights and weekends for five years until finally they opened their doors as The Seaba Station Antiques, Gifts & Collectibles. Sue and Sonny have become true ambassadors of the Mother Road and welcome all whom cross their threshold. Thanks for all the hard work. |
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Route 66 winds through the beautiful countryside at Warwick and Seaba Station. |
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| As you travel west on Route 66 towards Arcadia the ruins of an old stone gas station can be seen. The Rock O Ages station, or what's left of it, is a true throwback to the earliest days of automobile travel in the US. This is a very early station that was built in the late teens or early 1920s. There was no electricity here at that time and gas was dispensed from 55 gallon drums laid on their side on a wooden cradle. You could buy a cold soda only when the ice man had been by, and all lights were kerosene. What stories this place could tell! There's one interesting one told though. The story goes that it closed when the owner was arrested for counterfeiting $10 bills in the "secret" back room. Times were hard back then. |
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Photographs Taken May, June 2003
Click on an area or city of Route 66 on the map below to take a cyber tour of that section of the Mother Road |
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NAVIGATION NOTE: Buckle up and hold on to your mouse! These pages are arranged like the map above, from the western state border to the eastern state border. I have set up this site as if you were traveling from EAST to WEST, much like the Joad family in The Grapes of Wrath. You can click on the Route 66 shields to "travel" the Mother Road in either direction though. Or you can select any shield below to take you to that specific state. |
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