Sitting quietly along Route 66 near Luther, Okla., is the Threatt Filling Station. Established in 1915 by Allen Threatt, Sr., the building continues to be owned by the Threatt family, spanning multiple generations.

The building and its operations have long supported people of color, serving as the only Black American-owned and operated gas station and café on Route 66. The Threatt Filling Station served as a safe haven for black travelers during the Jim Crow era.

This project will provide necessary resources to develop the station and its surrounding property, protecting and showcasing the property’s historical significance.

Q: What is your project on Route 66?

Edward Threatt – One of the things that is unique about the Threatt Filling Station, it is wholly owned by people of color, my family.

Charles David Threatt – Our grandparents, Alan and Alberta Threatt, that came to Oklahoma from Alabama in the early 1900s, somehow were able to acquire 160 acres of land and turn that into a community gathering place.

Q: What role does this asset play on Historic Route 66?

Edward Threatt – This place has been a blessing to people of color because, during the Jim Crow era, it was absolutely a safe haven for people so that they could, come here, they could get gas, they could get groceries, they could get a prepared meal.

Q: What plans does you have for the Route 66 Centennial Celebration in 2026?

Charles David Threatt – We want to reopen the station as an interpretive center for people that are traveling Route 66 to stop and see what used to occur here.

Q: How is the Route 66 Revitalization Grant helping to facilitate this project?

Edward Threatt – We don’t have the means to make these things happen. And, with that grant, it opens the door to us being able to see a future not just for ourselves, but for our family, the community of Luther in general.

Q: How will this project positively impact your community and the State of Oklahoma?

Charles David Threatt – If our vision comes to fruition, we really want this to have a great impact on the local and statewide economies. We think that it will be a destination site for people traveling the Mother Road, especially during the 2026 National Route 66 Centennial and beyond. In the present and in the future, they will continue to have that impact that it had in the early 1900s.