Underpass Cafe

Route 66/Cty. Rd W, Phillipsburg, MO
Phone:

East < GO > West

In 1941 O.E. Carter & Ed Lawson erected a small gas station here and in 1950 they added this cafe building. Only the cafe building stands today. The separate small prefabricated gas station building was located on the right side of the cafe. The cafe is located just west of the railroad underpass on Route 66 (Cty. W) east of I-44, exit 118.

In this 2016 photo the words Breakfast Lunch Dinner are very faint but still readable above the windows. The Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society partnered with the property owner to repaint the building and the ghost signs since these photos were snapped in 2016.

Compare the appearance of the cafe in this 2016 photo to the way it looked in the 2023 photo at the top of this page. The difference is what "a little help from your friends" can do, in this case those friends were members of the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society.

There is a Historic Marker out front that shows the cafe and gas station in days gone bye, it reads:

"In 1941, OE Carter and Ed Lawson erected a prefabricated gas station on Route 66 west of the Frisco Railroad overpass know as “the Subway.” Many truckers had to let the air out of their tires or detour around the 13-foot-5-inch bridge. Westbound truckers then stopped at the station to refill their tires. In 1950, Carter and Lawson added a café building and moved their operations here from Lebanon. The café, which included a small gift shop, and station closed sometime after four-lane New Route 66 – now Interstate 44 – opened in 1957. The Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society restored the cafe's exterior in 2018-19 with the financial assistance of property owner Gary McMillan. The building's letters were hand-painted by Young Signs of Lebanon. The café site is private property: Please do not trespass beyond the fence. "

The marker was erected by the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society.

Photo(s): 2016, 2023