The Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, again has been sold to The Dels Corporation of Mountain Home, Arkansas, which states it plans to restore the property and its iconic neon sign.
The Route 66 motel apparently was under contract to be sold to The Dels Corporation in early 2023, but a dispute between the daughters of owner Ramona Lehman and complications that arose after her death last year put the deal on hold.
Gary Sosniecki, a veteran of the newspaper industry, stated Friday in a Facebook post on behalf of the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society that the organization was informed of the sale, “which has been in the works for some time.” It finalized the transaction with the Lehman family this week.
The Dels Corporation spokespersons announced plans to restore and revitalize the iconic property, guaranteeing the property will remain on Route 66 in Lebanon for many years to come. Plans also include maintaining the iconic neon sign in place as well.
The Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society, along with the City of Lebanon, will work with the Dels Corporation to maintain the integrity of the historic property on Route 66. Although exact plans for restoration have not been announced, progress will be updated on the Route 66 Society’s Facebook page as it becomes available.
“There will be a transition time,” Route 66 Society Vice President Mike Boggs said Friday. “But in the end, the motel will get the much-needed attention it deserves, and folks will still have their favorite place to stay on Route 66 for years to come.”
Lehman owned the Munger Moss for more than 50 years. She and her late husband Bob bought the Route 66 motel in June 1971. Bob died in 2019.
The motel’s name came from a sandwich shop of the same name in nearby Devil’s Elbow, Missouri, built in 1936 by Nellie Munger and her husband, Emmitt Moss.
The building in Devil’s Elbow still is there as the Elbow Inn, though that property has been closed for several years while it reportedly undergoes renovations.
(Image of the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, by Stu Rapley via Flickr)