A Route 66 fueling station was listed as one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places

During the Jim Crow era, it was important for Black travelers to have places they could go and feel safe.

In 2021, The Oklahoman's Carla Hinton wrote of the importance of a historic fueling station along Route 66 near Edmond, which was at one time a "sundown town" where Black people could not feel secure after sunset:

That safe haven in Luther, the Threatt Filling Station and Family Farm, was recently named to the 2021 list of America's Most Endangered Historic Places. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit, compiles the list annually and the Threatt establishment was one of 11 sites chosen this year.

Quoting the Rev. Allen Threatt III, she wrote that the station "was a boon for Black travelers who were denied access to 'Whites-Only' hotels and restaurants along the 'Mother Road.'"

More: Route 66 'refuge' for Black travelers now listed among 'most endangered' historic places

The minister's grandfather, Allen Threatt Sr., had built the filling station in 1915. At the time of the Endangered Historic Places designation, the Threatt family was hoping for more grants and donations to help restore what was believed to have been the only Black-owned filling station on Route 66 in the state and "make the property accessible to the public as an interpretive center or museum of sorts — preferably in time for the Route 66 centennial in 2026."

The filling station also is on the National Register of Historic Places.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Route 66 fueling station, listed as endangered, served Black travelers