Luther, OK – The National Trust for Historic Preservation included the Threatt Filling Station and Family Farm to the 2021 list of America’s 11-Most Endangered Historic Places. The farm and station are located on historic Route 66 in Luther.
“The Threatt Filling Station and Family Farm represents the power of Black entrepreneurship and its ability to create a safe haven for Black travelers on this iconic American roadway,” noted Katherine Malone-France, chief preservation officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “This place, still proudly owned by the Threatt family, underscores the fact that carefree travel along Route 66 was not a reality for Black Americans, and it reinforces the truth that many people of color face danger while traveling still today. As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre and look towards the centennial of Route 66 in 2026, we have the opportunity to honor and preserve this place that has long served as a refuge and safe haven, and re-activate it to carry its legacies forward.”
The 2021 list includes a diverse mix of historic places nationwide that celebrate the interconnection of American culture and acknowledge it as a multicultural fabric that, when pieced together, helps tell the full American story.
The Threatt farm was homesteaded by family patriarch, Allen Threatt, in the early 1900s. The entrepreneurial Threatt family sold produce and quarried limestone from its 160-acre property, and over time expanded their offerings to include a filling station (built circa 1915), a ball field where Negro Baseball Leagues competed, a café, an outdoor stage, and a bar. The filling station was the only known Black-owned and operated gas station along Route 66 during the Jim Crow era, making it a safe haven for Black travelers. The farm also reportedly provided refuge to Blacks displaced by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Read more about the 2021 Most Endangered Historic Places from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and note the links to add your name AND donation to the cause.
Members of the Threatt Family gathered at a showing of The Green Book at Tulsa’s Circle C Cinema. Maurice Threatt, David Threatt, Mason Threatt, Nerissa Berry and Joyce Threatt. 
Ulyssees Threatt 
Threatt Filling Station, artwork by Shellee Graham 
The Threatt Filling Station 
Elizabeth Threatt 
This cash register from the Threatt Filling Station is on loan to the Smithsonian for a traveling exhibit. 
Members of the Threatt Family gathered at a showing of The Green Book at Tulsa’s Circle C Cinema. Maurice Threatt, David Threatt, Mason Threatt, Nerissa Berry and Joyce Threatt.
Read more about the Threatt Filling Station from the Luther Register archives.
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Rev. Harold Kent Straughn
I was minister with First Christian Church of Luther from 1999-2006. I saw this station each time I came to town but had no idea of its value as a national heritage. I was aware of two congregations that served African-American worshippers and I am sure I could have asked some of my friends there and they would have known. Thank you for placing this news on Facebook, Robbie Orr!