The new owner of the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, promised the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society that the landmark motel’s appearance would not change.
Mark Bertel, founder and CEO of the Dels Corp., spoke via telephone to the society after high winds kept him from flying to Lebanon to attend its annual membership meeting.
Gary Sosniecki, a former newspaper owner and reporter, posted a report from the meeting:
“I’m going to donate the sign to the City of Lebanon so that way they can preserve it,” he said. “I’m going to donate the sign and the land around it to the city so they can work with you guys to keep the sign, because I know that’s such an iconic part of the heritage there.”
Bertel also assured the Route 66 Society that the general appearance of the Munger Moss will not change, “just updates that need to happen for maintenance,” he said.
“I want to preserve the history that’s there and I have no intention of ever messing with that,” he said. “It’s a property that I really enjoy.” Bertel said he tried to buy the property for two years, “and I’m not going to ever let it go to something that I’m not proud of. And I’m just real excited to be part of the community more, and excited to preserve Munger Moss as what it is.”
He added: “Anything we do will be something that needs to happen, to look nice. We understand the gravity of what we’re buying. We want to make a good impression on you.”
Bertel also said his goal would be to allocate 20% of the motel’s rooms for overnight guests, allaying the fears of Route 66 travelers.
The motel currently has a little over 60 rooms, leaving about a dozen for overnight travelers.
He said keeping all the rooms for overnight guests isn’t financially feasible. The rest of the rooms would be devoted to extended-stay guests.
The Dels Corp. completed the sale of the Munger Moss in October.
Bertel added: “I never thought in a million years I’d have a chance to own it. I sure will take care of it, because it means something to me.”
The Dels Corp. based in Mountain Home, Arkansas, also has acquired Lebanon’s former Best Western Wyota Inn and original Holiday Inn hotels. Both have been remodeled into extended-stay apartments.
Ramona Lehman owned the Munger Moss for more than 50 years until her death at age 85 in 2023. She and her late husband Bob bought the Route 66 motel in June 1971. Bob died in 2019.
The motel was built in 1946 on Lebanon’s east side along with a restaurant and gas station, both which are long gone. Its name came from a sandwich shop of the same name in nearby Devil’s Elbow, Missouri, built in the mid-1930s by Nellie Munger and her husband, Emmitt Moss.
(Image of the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, by Stu Rapley via Flickr)