Spencer Store Spencer, MO, 2016
The history of Spencer is similar to much of the history of Midwest and Western towns strung along Route 66. It was founded in the 1870s and named after a local merchant. At first, it was an agricultural town, but it became a ghost town in the 1910s. Route 66 brought life back to the community in the late 1920s when a few small businesses were established for travelers but these died when Route I-44 was built, bypassing Spencer in the 1950s. These buildings have been semi-restored, including the ephemeral Spencer Store, as seen through its windows.